Is This a Dream?
by phantom-lass
Summary: Sequal to "A Dream Made of Nightmares" Based around X-Men 2. ROGAN
1. Boyfriend?

**I own nothing from either X-MEN 1 OR 2 :(**

**Is This a Dream?**

**Chapter 1 – Boyfriend?**

Logan tossed and turned restlessly in his bed. He was here in the same building as her after more than six months – six months of searching for the past he could not remember only to find the shell of an old compound and nothing but snow and the occasional wolf every now and again.

He had walked into the hall of the mansion and had been greeted by her smiling face and his name on her lips. He had seen some pretty great sunsets while he was away but nothing compared to the smile that had been on her face. Her smiles were contagious – he had learned that the day he had left – and he had soon felt his own small smile answering her wide one.

The first thing that he noticed was how much she had grown. She was taller and her face had lost some of the childish roundness. Her ears were pierced as well; she had been wearing great silver looped earrings in each ear and smaller studs at the top. She had also put on some of that much needed weight that she hadn't managed before he left but she had also lost some in places.

He also took in lots of other things within the first few seconds. Like she was wearing the gloves he had bought her all those months ago - the long green ones. And the other thing her noticed was his dog tags hanging around her neck. A feeling of possessiveness streaked through him.

Seeing the changes that had taken place with his Marie while he was away was enough to have the wolverine in him raise his head but he had pushed it down and concentrated in the all too fleeting feel of holding her close as she hugged him in welcome. Never before Marie could he remember being welcomed anywhere in such a way.

He tried to keep the smile that jumped to his lips small as students walked past them and his nose was assaulted with the scent of snow and ice but only in a more concentrated form that all the snow he had been around in Canada. Igloo Guy. Blue Boy...whatever the hell his name was was close behind her.

"Miss me kid?" he had smiled trying to filter her scent and her scent alone from the mixture of stale smells hovering in the lobby. It wasn't difficult and he felt a peace wash over him as it permeated his senses completely. It was clean and fresh just how he remembered it but that boy's scent was mingled far too closely with hers for Logan's peace of mind.

"No not really," she had joked in reply, still smiling broadly at him, her eyes dancing with merriment.

He had laughed inwardly at her answer knowing by her scent and expression that she was lying to him.

"How are you doing?" he had asked her praying that she had had no recurring nightmares since he had left. Come to think of it she did look a little pale?

"I'm OK," she had smiled nodding her head along with her words.

"How are you?" she asked him and that was when that other kids proximity had really started to bug him, his inner wolverine really wanting to know what the hell his problem was.

He made a face and shrugged his shoulders nodding towards the boy.

"Who's this?"

It wasn't that he didn't know but that wasn't what he was asking. What he was asking was "Why is he hovering and who is he to you and when and where do I have my little 'talk' with him?"

She spun about to look behind and turned back to face him.

"Oh, this is Bobby, he's my..." she began before Mr I've Got a Death Wish interrupted her. As if cutting Marie short was not bad enough the next words out of his mouth pretty much sealed the deal.

"I'm her boyfriend,"

What?

He noticed Maria throwing Bobby a very annoyed glance that he recognised all too well before the kid reached out a hand to shake. Out of habit Logan took it and felt his hand stiffen up as ice began to form.

_Damn stupid, show of kid._

The metal lining the bones in his hand stiffened and he felt pins and needles momentarily through his skin until the kid released his grip and his healing ability quickly dealt with the ice not even leaving his hand red from the cold temperature.

_Ha take that one Iceman. _

Logan fought to remain calm not thinking that the professor would appreciate it if he skewered one of his students on his first day back and despite the annoyed look that had passed over Marie's face he could tell that she really did care for the kid.

He watched amused as Marie's elbow made contact with the boy's ribs and he flinched slightly, wincing in pain.

"**Best** friend," she ground out between her teeth and Logan had a feeling he didn't know everything that was going on. He remembered the interest Bobby had shown her before he had left and he had no doubt that the kid wanted it to be more that the friendship that Marie proclaimed it was.

"Boyfriend," Bobby hissed at her and Marie had shaken her head.

"We'll talk about it later," she snarled under her breath and Logan saw that his personality was just as prominent as ever within her.

Before he had managed to ask another question or even see if she could meet up with him later on Storm had shown up saying something about babysitting the kids while everyone else left. Then Scott had appeared asking him if he had found what he was looking for. Uhh...no.

He threw him the keys for his bike. Boy had stealing that been good – payback for all the looks and comments about Marie before he had left.

He was shown to his old room by Storm though they both knew that he had only been in it a few times during his last stay. He could smell Marie along the corridor and knew that she must still be in the teacher's wing of the school.

After dumping his bag he had gone in search of Xavier and had found him in Cerebro. He never again wanted to have to extinguish a cigar on his hand if he could help it. He asked him to have another look through his mind and was fed the 'know it all' speech that he had grown to expect from the mind reading mutant.

OK fine. So Logan quickly moved onto more pressing matters.

Marie.

"How is Marie doin' wheels?" he asked as they left Cerebro. It wasn't that he couldn't find out himself it was just that he knew Marie. If something was wrong with her it would take her forever to get round to telling him.

The professor smiled slightly.

"She is doing well Logan. She is sleeping well, not every night but most nights and she is doing excellently in her classes. She had drifted away from the girls that she was friends with when you left and seems to prefer the company of Bobby and John. When I asked her about this she told me that the girls were both too loud for Erik and you in her head and that the boys were more sedate,"

Logan smirked at the thought of that, remembering what some of the girls had been like in his danger room classes. He would rather face Magneto any day of the week than the hormonally charged teenage mutants in the mansion. But the fact that she was with the two boys most of the time frankly worried him and one of them was definitely interested in more than friendship.

"What about Jean?" he asked. If he found out that the women had caused any trouble at all – even coughing wrong – he'd keep that promise he gave her.

The professor sighed from beside him and glanced up.

"Jean has left the mansion for the time being Logan. She left some months ago,"

Logan accepted the professor's words and didn't go any further into it. Logan never pretended to be a guy in touch with his finer emotions (unless Marie was involved of course) but he did know that Xavier had viewed the doctor as a daughter and he did not want to bring anything up that perhaps would be better left alone – as long as she stayed away he would stay quiet.

After being told once again if his baby sitting duties while the professor went to visit "an old friend" – yeah like he didn't know who that was - he made his way back to his room and lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He had already missed dinner so he didn't bother going down the stairs. His sensitive hearing picked up the professor informing the students that 'Professor Logan' would be taking care of things for the night. This had been closely followed by the sound of the jet taking of and the professor and Scott driving away.

Logan had leapt from his bed when he heard a nervous tap on his door and the scent of Marie drifted to him. He ran a hand quickly through his hair and tugged on his shirt collar before tugging the door open to reveal a smiling Marie.

"Hey darlin'," he greeted, smiling at her.

He watched confused as Marie leaned back and looked to the right and to the left before her smile widened and she leapt into his arms. Logan's arms automatically wrapped around her and he held her close as he quickly regained his balance.

With his arms still wrapped about her small frame holding her firmly to him he stepped back wards and the door swung shut.

"I missed you so much sugar," she breathed into his ear as he spun her about. It felt so good to have her in his arms again and to hold her and to be alone with her like they used to be.

He put her down and she hugged him again before stepping away from him slowly.

"So what's up with you and the human Icicle?" he asked her lightly, trying to make it sound like he didn't really care what he answer was while inside he was snarling.

"Umm nothing," she mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking at the floor, her lids dropping and hiding her eyes from him.

"Mmhmm,"

Ok so he knew his reaction to her answer was kind of childish but he didn't care. He was desperate.

"Fine," she huffed looking up from the floor.

"He wants to be my boyfriend," she told him softly.

"And,"

_Yeah. Like I'm going to let you leave it there Marie. NOT!_

"Well...I like him...love him even,"

Logan's chest clenched.

"But not like that," she said softly and he felt the iron grip that had suddenly formed on his chest loosen.

"Besides I couldn't do that to anyone. I could never expect someone to stay in a relationship with me," she trailed of sadly and he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him yet again, he could hear the longing in her voice.

Stupid kids. He knew how they viewed relationships. He remembered over hearing a conversation when the kids had started to accept her. They had been shocked that there was absolutely NO TOUCHING and viewed it as a bit of a downer where getting into a relationship came into play. Being around that kind of influence would not do her any good.

"Darlin' anyone would be lucky to have you in their life," he whispered to her softly.

He held her for a few more minutes before she pulled away, chuckling under her breath.

"You just got back Logan and you're already involved in all of my drama," she laughed as she drew back from him a raising one gloved hand she stroked some nonexistent hair away from his face and behind his ear – he fought to keep his eyes from shutting at her gentle touch.

"How did Canada go sugar?" she asked him softly and he reached for her hand that was cupping the side of his face and held it gently in his own, amazed at the difference in size. She was so small.

"It didn't," he answered her stroking her hand.

"Didn't find anything," he breathed. He still felt disappointed about his lack of discoveries about his past especially since that was his only reason for leaving her for so long.

"Nothing but ruins and snow..." he trailed off.

"I'm sorry Logan. Has the professor found anything else out?" she asked him softly.

Only Marie had ever asked about him and her care for him only made his feelings for her stronger. No one had ever cared about him before she came into his life.

He shook his head to answer her question. Since the professor had refused to read his mind again he probably wouldn't discover anything else either - damned telepath.

Silence fell over them and Logan lost himself in the comfortable silence that they shared just listening to her breathing and the sound of her heart beating steadily.

She had left not long after that and he was left with that familiar hollow feeling within him that had filled him the day he had left the mansion and so now he was laying awake in his bed. She was near him and he was back. He closed his eyes in preparation for sleeping. His nightmares had become less even when he had left and he was sleeping without Marie. They had not stopped but they were less frequent. Now he had better things to take their place.

**Hey guys. So here is chapter one of part 2. **

**I found it so hard to come up with this after my first story since I actually have real events (well...you know what I mean :-)) to base things of this time. **

**If you could let me know what you think that would be great thank you and I may or may not change some bits. **

**Next chapter will be up to this point but from Marie's point of view.**

**Thanks.**


	2. Marie

**I do not own the X-Men or any of the characters.**

**Is This a Dream?**

**Chapter 2 - Marie**

Marie sat in the cafeteria of the museum surrounded by the chatter of humans with Bobby and John on either side of her – playing their protective friends roll. After Logan had left they had both quickly became her best friends – oh she still hung out with Kitty and Jubilee but despite being older than her they were both so young in their actions and irritated the Erik inside her head with their ways and annoyed Logan with their constant chatter and 'girl talk'. She had quickly learned that for some reason her mental guys didn't mind the presence of the boys. They were quieter and more sedate than the girls and though Logan didn't like the idea of her being near the boys he preferred them to the girls as the better of two evils.

She was glad that they both accepted the boys as she viewed them as the brothers that she had never had while Scott was moving into the fatherly category and not doing that bad with it either. Both Bobby and John treated her normally neither of them put off by her deadly skin – they would hold her hand when she needed it or hug her when she was having a bad day.

She knew that Bobby wanted something more - not viewing their friendship in the pure friendly way she did. It hurt her to know that he wanted something she could never give him. She could never look at a man or a boy without comparing them to Logan with his rough yet caring ways and how careful and gentle he had always been with her - despite being growly with everyone else.

She still wore his tags around her neck and even wrapped them around her wrist at night and remembered the promise that he had made her before he had left...

"_Come child snap out of it,"_

"_Yeah Marie, he'll be back. You just wait and see,"_

Marie smiled slightly to herself. Despite the circumstances attached to having the men in her head she would not have it any other way. They were her best friend which was probably why she found it easier being with Bobby and John in the real world. She was used to guys and their thought processes – girls and make-up were beyond her for some reason.

"Hey can I have a light?"

She looked up to her side to see two guys looking at John who was playing with his lighter.

He just looked up and smirked while continued to flick the cover up and down his expression yelling cockiness.

"_This kid has one attitude problem," _Logan observed.

"_Hmmm bet you were like that when you were his age," _Erik replied.

"Ahh no," John finally answered the two strangers calmly.

Marie couldn't help but smile at John – he really was a big head and she had a feeling it would get him into trouble one day. Trouble he wouldn't be able to get out of.

She glanced up at the two men and saw the less than happy expression on their faces.

"_Ladies and gentlemen please take your seats the show is about to begin," _Erik chirped cheerfully.

"_Please ensure all cell phones are switched off thank you," _Logan rubbed his hands together in glee.

"My brother asked you a simple question..."

Marie couldn't help but smile wider at Erik and Logan's words. They really were funny when they got started like this. Her smile had one of the men looking at her and he raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.

Her smile disappeared and she frowned at him.

_Creep. _

After being asked again John once again refused before being side tracked by Bobby. The one with the cigarette quicly reaced for the lighter and snatched it from Johnd hand.

Really bad move.

"_Ding, ding,"_

"_Round one,"_

Marie knew what John's temper was like and his feelings about his lighter. Unlike Bobby who could draw on the slightest amount of moisture from the air and turn it to ice he could not produce a flame out of nothing and because of this the lighter was viewed as a part of his body.

John leapt to his feet reaching out for the lighter but was stopped by the other brother.

Marie tensed. Talk about trying not to draw attention. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. They had no idea that in the same building as them there was more than a dozen mutants - three of them less than four feet away who could quite easily kill them.

She saw the expression on John's face change as he concentrated on the now lowing tip of the cigarette and her heart leapt in panic as he winked.

_Don't even think about it John. _

Too late.

The cigarette disappeared and the man's sleeve was consumed by flames.

Everything slowed down and she thought several things at once.

_Great Storm is going to kill us._

_Scott will never let me out of his sight again._

_Now everyone knows. _

_I'm going to kill John when we get back. _

Meanwhile screams erupted from all around them as the guy with the flaming sleeve let out a cry and fell backwards knocking over tables and chairs as he landed.

She lurched to her feet along with Bobby and stepped backwards.

Bobby reached out a hand and she watched as a stream of frost flew from his hand to the fire and froze the sleeve and half the guys face...and then...everything froze.

The noise stopped, the movements stopped. Everything stopped.

"Bobby what did you do?" she asked looking around in utter confusion.

A part of her mind screamed that there was no way that Bobby had done that but hey she was panicking a bit.

"I didn't do this," Bobby answered her, looking around just as confused as she was.

"No I did," came the professor's voice.

_We are so grounded._

"_Hey you didn't do anything it was Mr Moody who did everything,"_ Logan growled.

The professor rolled towards them in his chair and fixed John with _the look. _

"The next time you feel like showing of...don't," he told him firmly and Marie was more that glad that the look and tone was not directed at her.

She looked around again at all the frozen people. Some were making phone calls, eating, drinking, talking, and taking photos...just everyday things and they were standing as still as statues like someone had hit the pause button on life.

Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the television as a picture of the white house appeared.

"Mutants Attack White House" read the screen.

"_Not good,"_

"_Oh dear,"_

They all left the museum quickly after that and got back to the mansion in record speed in one of the mansions buses that Scott had modified quite a bit.

All the way back she layed into John about his actions in the museum.

"What were you thinking John? You need to try harder to keep your temper. It's dangerous,"

John only sighed and smiled more than used to her lectures by now – what...with having Erik in her head it was difficult to get out of someone else's habits – only giving her a hug as they went into the mansion by way of apology.

"Right everyone," Storm clapped her hands to get everyone's attention before they disappeared to do their own thing.

"Classes are dismissed for the day but two hours of study please," she told them before walking into the professor's office followed closely by Scott who threw Marie the 'I'll talk to you later' look.

_Great._

Since he decided to fill the guardian/parent roll he had really got that glare nailed.

John and Bobby headed towards their room to fetch their books while she went to hers. She walked in and closed the door softly and sat on her bed.

She gripped the dog tags in her gloved hand and sighed. She missed Logan so much. Her pillows had smelt like him for a little while after he had left and it had comforted her but not anymore – now they just smelt of her.

She heard a knock at the door and quickly grabbed her folders and went to the door smiling at Bobby and John and they all walked down the stairs.

They sat for an hour or so in silence with the other kids with nothing but the sound of scribbling and turning paper. She also heard the occasional snigger coming from one of the tables by the window and looked up to see Pete and one of the other boys smirking over a piece of paper. Pete looked up at her and winked.

She had no doubt about what was on the paper. Pete enjoyed making caricatures of people and especially loved making ones of her and her either sucking the life out of people or taking on their personalities and mutations. He was very good at it. Though it angered both Erik and Logan she didn't really mind and had most of his drawings decorating the walls in her room.

She heard a deep sigh from Bobby as he slammed his books shut and down onto the table.

"Right who's up for a game of thumb wars?" he asked excitedly.

John rolled his eyes and left the room saying that he had something to take care of – whatever that could be.

Marie nodded her head in agreement willing to do anything to get a break from studying even if thanks to Erik she liked it more than the average student.

She giggled as Bobby told her how he was king of the game and she was so dead.

She giggled again when Bobby suddenly stopped. She looked up at him from their hands and saw that look on his face.

_Not again, _she sighed inwardly quickly recognising the expression on his face.

"_Can't this kid take a hint?"_

"_You have to give him some marks for his persistency child he does not give in easily"_

Bobby drew forward slowly like he was in some kind of a trance and she flinched backwards. Why did he always have to do this? She loved him...she did...but not like that. Why couldn't he just leave things the way they were.

She suddenly heard the rumbling of a bike engine and she perked up - the smile that had faded returning to her face. No one was out. Scott and 'Ro were with the professor cooped up in his office and all the students were in the school studying or whatever after the trip earlier.

There was only one possibility.

Logan.

Her heart jumped in her chest and into her throat as she leapt from the sofa escaping Bobby and avoiding any skin contact and ran to the hall. Logan had come back. Logan was home.

She rounded the corner to the hall and saw him come through the door and her heart fluttered. He was just as she remembered him.

Just as tall, just as rugged and just as safe as he had been when he left.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly not caring who was looking. She felt a feeling of safety run through her as his arms closed around her in a tight if brief hug and she breathed deeply filling her lungs with his scent before pulling back.

She couldn't fill her gaze with him enough and she kept her eyes fixed on him - unable to keep the wide smile of her face.

They joked and talked for a few minutes and then Bobby had to enter the equation and make it out like he was her boyfriend.

Erik and Logan flared to life in her head at his comment and her own anger grew. She was used to his never ending attempts but to say something to someone else...

'Ro interrupted the conversation not long after Bobby had tried to freeze Logan's hand – the silly show off - and he was shown to his old room – the room that he had hardly ever been in since he had always been with her. There was of course the time that he had trashed it beyond repair and recognition...

Both her and Bobby drifted away and her annoyance with her inner Wolverine's help was bubbling away merrily under the surface.

"Bobby what was that about?" she yelled at him as soon as they weren't surrounded by people. She did not want to have this conversation with every gossip collector in the school hovering within ear shot.

Marie listened as he grumbled and groaned about his possessive attitude of a few minutes ago and her anger began to fade as she explained to him again her view and feelings.

"Bobby, I love you I do but not like that. I'm sorry. I love you like a brother but not the way you want me too...I can't"

The conversation was soon finished and she sighed sadly as she walked away from a rejected looking Bobby and headed to her room only to take a detour to Logan's.

She hated the pain she knew she must be causing Bobby but she couldn't help it.

She knocked softly on Logan's door and smiled broadly when he opened it a smile on his own face.

She had checked both sides of the corridor before throwing herself into his arms to make sure no one was around. Her insides fluttered as his arms closed around her and he held her to him. She felt him stagger back into the room and heard the door click shut as he spun her around. She had never felt so happy since he had left.

They talked and sometimes they sat in silence. It was just like it used to be before he left with only one major flaw – she had to return to what had been their room but was now only hers and leave him in his.

She walked slowly along the corridor her heart tugging at her ribs with every step she took away from him.

But he was back.

**Hey everyone,**

**Say hello to mental Logan and Erik - don't you just love them?? :-)**

**Hope you like this so far and that it is making sense. Let me know. **

**:-)**


	3. Bobby

**I do not own the X-Men (but if anyone wants to get me a present...;-))**

**Is This a Dream?**

**Chapter 3 - Bobby**

The mansion was silent on the first floor as Marie stared at her bedroom ceiling. Logan was in the same building as her but he was not in the same room and it did not feel right one little bit. Every atom in her body was screaming out for him – wanting him to be next to her...holding her.

_You saw him two hours ago Marie, get a grip of yourself will you!_

"_You know what they say darlin', _Logan chimed too cheerfully within her head.

_What?_

"_Absence makes the heart grow fonder," _Erik finished happily.

Uhh. She hated it when they did that and they had been doing it more and more over the past months – finishing each other's sentences. They were like an old married couple.

_"I beg your pardon, care to rephrase that,"_

_"What the...I dont think so!"_

She hated sleeping alone so much though – she had discovered that the first night that Logan had left, which was funny because before Logan she had loved having all the space...and now he was back and she was still alone in her room with no one.

Marie grabbed a pillow swiftly from beside her head and slammed it over her face stifling a groan of annoyance at being unable to sleep when she heard a light knock at her door.

She flung the pillow from her face in panic and threw a quick glance at the clock. It was past midnight – who would be knocking at her door at midnight...? Maybe Jones – he did that sometimes when he was looking for company and he knew that she didn't always sleep well.

"Who is it?" she whispered from the bed almost too low for anyone to actually hear her.

There was a pause and she was about to repeat herself when she heard shifting on the other side of the door.

"It's Logan," came the gruff reply sounding even more muffled through the heavy wooden door but it was music to her ears.

She launched herself from the bed nearly tripping over her own feet and bed clothes as she grabbed her dressing gown to cover her deadly skin that was exposed by her sleeveless, knee length night gown and quickly dragged on a pair of gloves before opening the door.

Logan was standing in the dimly lit corridor looking...bashful?

Marie very nearly broke out into a fit of giggles. She had never seen that expression on his face before and it was a cracker.

"Logan...you OK?" she asked softly not wanting to risk waking anyone in the other rooms.

"Just wanted to make sure that you were alright darlin'," he told her softly and she studied him carefully recognising a look that she had seen far too often before he had left.

His eyes were dark and haunted, filled with the memories of past sights.

Marie did what she always did as her heart filled with sorrow for the man in front of her. Sorrow for what he had been through and lived through regularly in his dreams. She reached out and hugged him.

Careful to keep her skin from his she stood as tall as she could and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his sigh ghost across her skin as he buried his head in her shoulder as she lowered herself from her toes, drawing him with her.

"Was it bad Logan?" she asked softly her gloved hand sliding from his neck to his hair and brushing her fingers through his thick mane.

She stepped back slowly into her room bringing him with her from the open corridor. The door shut slowly and he still did not release her and she still kept her arms around him and in his hair.

It felt so good to hold him again after so long, it would take her weeks to get her fill.

"Same as always darlin'," he mumbled against her shoulder and she could feel his breath through her clothes.

He stepped away from her slightly, his hands staying on her hips and her own hands slid from his neck and hair to his shoulder and then down his arms to latch onto his elbows.

He smiled faintly at her and took one of his hands from her side to stroke a strand of hair behind her ear, he was wearing his gloves – that was another thing she had missed, all the small things.

"I got a bit unsettled and needed to know you were alright," he explained and Marie was sure that if it wasn't so un-wolveriney he would have blushed.

"_Is 'un-wolveriney' even a word darlin'?" _Logan laughed at her in her head.

_It is now, _she growled in return.

Why couldn't they just let her have her little moments? She didn't ask for much.

"_Come, come, my dear. We define these memorable moments of yours," _Erik told her.

_I don't know...I think I could live without it sometimes and do some defining of my own. _

Marie quickly left the conversation in her head and focused on Logan.

"Yeah I'm good sugar," she smiled cocking her head to the side and studying him carefully.

He hadn't changed during the time away. Everything was the same about him but he did look a little tired and drawn...no doubt from the nightmare.

He threw her one last almost shy smile.

"Anyway...I'll...I'll be goin'. See you in the mornin' darling," he mumbled leaving the room quickly leaving Marie standing in her room wondering just what was wrong with him.

"_I bet I know," _Logan sang.

"_So do I," _Erik chimed.

_Shut up! I don't want to know. _

* * *

Logan stalked down the hall on the ground floor of the mansion, his shoes clicking on the wooden floor. He took the gloves from his hand and stuffed them in his pocket before he rubbed the back of his neck - angry with himself.

What the hell had he been thinking?

His nightmare had rattled him and he had felt the overwhelming urge to know she was well...

Oh he knew she was. In his head he knew that she was safe and sound in her room but the wolverine needed to see for himself, needed to see, smell and sense everything.

He dragged himself from his thoughts long enough to hear the sound of the TV coming from the sitting room and he could see light coming from the open doorway. Logan couldn't smell anything peculiar so he stayed calm and kept his steady pace as he walked to the door.

He leaned against the door frame and looked into the room, taking in everything from the flashing television screen to the lingering smell of popcorn to the blinking kid sitting with his eyes glued to the screen.

He didn't recognise the boy and decided that he must have arrived after he had left.

"Can't sleep?" the boy asked still focusing on the changing channels.

Logan smiled slightly at this. He didn't know the half of it.

"How can you tell?" he asked lightly deciding that he liked the kid. Beside he could smell Marie drifting from his clothing so it was obvious his girl liked the kid to.

"'Cos your awake," he answered looking away from the screen and then back at it.

Logan just smiled and inclined his head at that - smart kid.

"Right. How about you?" he asked, wanting to know who the kid was to Marie.

"I don't sleep," was the short reply.

Ok - so not much of a talker then. But he was not giving up.

"Don't ya get bored kid," he asked, keeping his tone as light as he possibly could - he was Wolverine he didn't do small talk after all.

"A bit," he answered still concentrating on the ever changing screen.

"...sometimes Rogue keeps me company when she can't sleep," he finally said and Logan smiled at this. It was just like Marie to help where she could.

Silence once again fell, with the only noise coming from the different programmes flicking on the screen.

Having found out what he wanted to know Logan drifted away from the sitting room and made his way to the kitchen wondering what the chances were of him finding a beer. He remembered what Marie had told him about her drinking Scott's supply after she had touched him on the statue and smiled when he remembered how shy and utterly adorable she had looked while telling him. She had mentioned that until he faded from her mind the alcohol had been moved but that had been over half a year ago. Surely they had moved it back by now.

The scent of frost and ice assaulted his senses and he tensed as he turned the corner to the kitchen.

Sitting at the table in the middle of the kitchen was Bobby with a tub of ice cream. Logan remembered all of the times that he and Marie had sneaked down for ice cream and hot chocolate in the middle of the night...Only Marie could talk the rough and tough Wolverine into a midnight snack.

"Doesn't anybody sleep around here?" he snapped in irritation at the boy polluting a memory of Marie.

_Damn kid._

"Apparently not," the kid replied.

_Little punk._

Logan threw him a look over his shoulder as he went to the fridge and opened the door.

_Beer, beer, beer...this kid is going to die very soon if he doesn't fix the attitude. _

"Got any beer?" he asked not actually expecting a helpful answer.

"This is a school," he replied giving him a look that said 'stupid'.

Logan felt the muscles in his arms begin to tense and move as his claws began to slide slowly dpwn his arm. But as much as gutting the kid would make him very happy, Marie actually like him for some unknown reason and she would not appreciate him putting holes in the boy.

"So that's a no?" he growled.

"Yeah that's a no,"

Then again he was sure that she would get over it. This was Marie after all and she never got angry...well nearly never.

"Is there anything other than chocolate milk?"

Logan slammed the fridge door shut and walked over to the cupboard that the kid pointed at and found the soda that he had said was there.

_Better than nothing. _

He looked at the warm bottle and the ice boy and handed it over. The kid it would seem was not completely stupid as he recognised Logan's unspoken request and chilled the glass bottle.

Logan sat on one of the stools opposite him and took his time with the drink.

The kid didn't look stupid and should accept the place that he had in Marie's life without complaint but instead he had to make her feel bad for refusing him.

Logan remembered Bobby from his danger room classes but he had never really spoken to him...he had never spoken to any of the students except if he really had to.

"So how long you been here?" he asked in an attempt at conversation.

_Might as well try to get to know the people who mean something to Marie. _

Logan just sat and talked when he knew it was expected of him and found out that the Icicles family didn't even know he was a mutant and were under the impression that Xavier's was just a normal everyday private school.

_Ahhh...NO!!_

"So you and Rogue are friends now?" he asked finally getting tired of dancing around the topic.

"Yeah. I mean it's not like _that – _not the way you think. I wish it were but..."

Bobby trailed of and Logan fixed him with the look that screamed 'you really don't want to finish that sentence'. Just what did he think he thought? Because if it was what Logan thought he was getting at he really needed to stop talking now.

"It's just hard – you know – when you want to be close to someone but you can't," he finished low.

_You're tellin' me kid. _

If Logan was ever to be asked what had kept him going during his six months from the mansion he would more than likely answer drink and fighting while he was making his way up north but then if the professor was to ask him his lips would be saying that answer while his mind yelled another.

And the professor would find one simple scene replaying around his head and at the centre would be three simple words being whispered in a sleepy voice.

"_Love you Logan,"_

That was what had kept him going. The memory of that night and the kiss he had given her...and this boy wanted to take that away and dared to sit there and tell him what he wanted. He obviously wanted to die really badly.

"You know I've seen the way you look at her,"

Silence had fallen for a few seconds between them and then that suddenly came out of nowhere.

Logan's eyes darted to Bobby's face and registered the sly glance – in fact he was sure that he had been getting lessons from Scott in that department.

"Excuse me?" Logan snarled.

Just what was that supposed to mean?

He didn't look at Marie like anything.

Did he?

"Nothin',"

_Damn punk kid. _

**Hey guys. Here's chapter three. **

**Hope you like. Thought I should have a little bit more Marie/Logan time so hope ya all like that. **

**Please let me know what you think. **

**Have a great week and stay safe.**

**:-)**


	4. Stryker

**I do not own the X-men or any of the characters :-(**

**Is This a Dream?**

**Chapter 4 – Stryker**

Logan sat opposite Bobby trying to stay as calm as he could. This kid really did want to die. He must do otherwise he would have shut up ages ago.

His attention was ripped from the boy and his senses flared as he heard noises and smelt smells that had not been there before. He tilted his head to the side and held up his hand for the kid to shut up.

The sound of boots hitting if the floor – softly and carefully – and the sound of metal sliding against metal and the smell of paint and men assaulted his alerted senses.

"What is it?"

He gave some kind of reply but was too occupied to really pay attention to what he was saying.

Soldiers.

* * *

A horrible, glass breaking scream shocked Marie from her half asleep/half awake state and she curled into a ball and slammed her hands over her ears.

_Whoa. What the hell is that? _Logan groaned in her head.

_Siren._

She recognised that shriek. A young girl had come to the mansion some months ago with the ability to reach unbelievable pitches with her vocal chords - the kind that could shatter glass and cause noses and ears to bleed.

But why was she screaming?

As soon as the noise finally stopped she darted from her bed and raced from the room not even stopping to cover her bare arms and legs.

She stepped into the corridor and found herself surrounded by screaming students racing past her. Everyone was panicking or giving it their best shot anyway.

She dashed down the corridor, the screaming and yelling of the other students ringing through her mind and making her own panic begin to bubble to the surface.

She pulled up quickly when she heard a low sobbing coming from somewhere. She looked around and spotting a table looked under it to see two of the smaller children curled up against each other as far into the wall as they could get.

"Holly, Steph come on," she gestured quickly for them to come out. She couldn't risk touching them with her skin showing.

She heard one of them squeal her name as she straightened up and they came crawling out.

_I need to get them to one of the passages._

"Girls come with me,"

She could hear the movement of their small feet behind her as they padded down the corridor. Everyone had been so busy trying to get out the building they all seemed to have headed for the stairs leaving this bit of the mansion abandoned. She finally found the section of corridor she needed and threw her body against one of the panels making up the wall. It gave slightly and hissed to the side. She had never thought that she would have to use any of the passages when the professor had told her about them.

"Get in,"

She watched as the two small girls clambered into the wall and they both turned as soon as she had their attention she told them what to do.

"Now both of you follow the passage until you come out near the trees and run until you come to the houses. Go to the first house you see and tell them that you ran away from school,"

She watched as they both nodded their heads. She knew that they were frightened but she didn't have the time to make them better.

"Whatever you do DO NOT tell them that you are mutants," she stressed. She didn't know what was happening but she couldn't see whatever was happening going on at every school in the country. She watched them run down the passage and slid the panel shut looking around she slid a table in front of it.

She bolted down the corridor at the sound of screaming from the floor down below her.

_I really hope that Steph and Holly get away alright. _

She needed to find Logan. Logan, Bobby and John FAST.

She turned the corridor.

"Bobby!" she cried when she saw both Bobby and John coming towards her. She heard cries from behind them and turned back the way she had came.

"Come on, this way,"

She spun about to go back the way she had just ran when the decorative window was lit up by a torch from the outside. She could hear the sound of running from the floor below and she could hear a whirling noise. The window suddenly exploded sending glass flying towards them. She screeched and cowered away from the window.

They all turned and made for the stairs running down them swiftly.

_Where's Logan?_

They ran towards the front door and just as Marie's mind yelled at her that it was a really stupid idea the door burst open.

They stood there, all three of them like animals in the headlights – the torches of the soldiers blaring down on them.

Marie's anger and fright fused together in a second as they stood there – memories of Erik's life flashing through her head – and she quickly turned the key within her head that opened the door to Erik's power.

She reached out and every metallic buzz and field in the building registered in her mind - building a map in her head and making her finger tips tickle and itch.

She quickly found what she was looking for.

She could do nothing with the plastic casing of their lights but the batteries and wires...and guns. She waved her hand a feeling of calm – thanks to Erik - taking over her mind and dragged it from left to right. The weapons and torches went flying from their grip just as she heard a growl from above them.

She stood in shock as she watched Logan make quick work if the four soldiers standing in the door.

She had known this side of Logan existed ever since she had seen his memories but she had never seen it first hand and it was frightening.

**Hi guys. Sorry this is so short but I hit a bit of a block but I'll hopefully come up with something fantastic and either add to this one or it will be the next chapter so keep your fingers crossed. **

**Once again sorry for the wait and rubbishy standard of this chapter. **

**Anyway feedback is nice as always even if I don't deserve it :)xx. **

**Keep safe and I hope you all have a great weekend.**

**Thanks.**

**Ps. Have started another Rogan "Tale As Old As Ti-Logan!" (Yeah weird title I know but it's all I have for now and the idea just came to me :-))**


	5. The Raid

**I still own nothing :(**

**Is This a Dream?**

**Chapter 5 – The Raid**

Marie quickly surfaced from her shock. What was she thinking? She had always known that he had this violent side to him – it took over her often enough during danger room sessions after all (and sometimes at other times too) and then there had been that accident with Jean in the med lab almost a year ago...

She watched as he stood from his crouched position and with a flick of his arm his claws sent two of the soldiers flying behind him as they slid from their stomachs and he turned to face them. She felt Bobby and John flinch as Logan's claws shot back into his arms.

"Let's go,"

Logan's order spurred them to action and they followed him without question as he moved towards the door.

"_Oh yes, very clever. Let's just invite them in shall we," _Erik's voice drawled through her mind as she followed the others to the door. They ran out onto the front steps only to stop when a spot light landed on them. They all covered their eyes. Marie couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The finely kept grounds of the mansion were swarming with men and helicopters were flying above the mansion noisily lights dancing in all directions.

They ran back into the mansion with Bobby at the front and Marie found herself hoping that he knew where he was going.

"This way," he yelled over his shoulder as they ran down a corridor. There was a passage down here somewhere that led to the garage but she couldn't remember where it was. Oh, she wished that she had been paying more attention when the professor had shown her.

_Why don't you know where the passages are? _She asked Erik as they continued to run.

"_It would appear that Charles had these installed after we had our little difference of opinion," _he told her calmly.

Marie sighed inwardly when Bobby threw himself against the wall.

"It's this one," he huffed as the panel slid away revealing the bricked interior of the hidden corridor.

She glanced behind her to see Logan looking down the corridor were lights lit up the dimness.

Bobby vanished into the passage followed swiftly by John. She climbed in and felt the air shift behind her and heard the grating of wood against wood as the panel moved.

No! What was he doing?

She spun around quickly but not quick enough.

"Logan," she yelled just as the panel slid shut.

No!

* * *

Logan slid the panel shut easily with one arm and turned in the direction of the lights. They would get away. Marie would get away. Whoever these people were they were not going to get her.

He could hear boots banging against the wooden floor of the corridor and saw the lights getting closer when several soldiers appeared round the corner pointing their weapons at him – like shooting him would do them any good.

He threw his arms out – his claws shooting sharply from his arms - and began to stalk towards them.

"If you want to shoot me, shoot me," he growled at them, his mind quickly taking in the soldiers and were they were crouched or standing and making a plan.

"Don't shoot him!" someone out of sight yelled, authority ringing through every word.

What?

"Not yet," the voice continued more softly and he watched as someone strolled from round the corner – almost like invading schools was an everyday activity for them.

Logan stopped walking and focused on the new comer.

"Wolverine," the man continued.

_How does he know my name?_

He took in the man as he continued towards him.

He was an older man with grey hair. The type that would look good in a Santa outfit – but Logan doubted that he would ever actually do that. Men who attacked schools in the middle of the night weren't too high on the festivity scale.

Well, the longer they stood here the longer Marie and the other two would have to get away...and there was something about the man that seemed familiar.

"Well I must say, this is certainly the last place I expected to find you," he continued in a conversational tone.

Logan breathed heavily. Who was this man?

"How long has it been...fifteen years? You haven't changed one bit" the man continued calmly.

Logan just stood, too shocked to do anything.

Someone who knew him, someone who could tell him about his forgotten past was standing in front of him - someone who could tell him who he had been or what he had done.

Logan allowed his claws to slide back into his arms as the man came into the light.

He knew him. Not him as he was now but a younger him. He was sure. Images flitted through his mind transparent and fragile like tissue paper – dissolving before he could get a firm grip on one.

* * *

Marie was panicking.

The protective instincts that came from Logan were screaming at her to return to the panel while Erik's logic was telling her that Logan was more than capable of looking after himself. But the part that was Mare was telling her that the man that she loved was alone with far more solders than he could possibly defeat and they had weapons and they were not shy about using them either.

"Wait guys," she cried to Bobby and John, her voice echoing throughout the damp corridor dozens of feet below the mansion.

She stopped running and watched as Bobby and John turned to face her, panting loudly.

"We have to go back, they are going to kill him," she continued trying to keep a hold on herself sure she didn't know for definite that they were going to kill him but she did know that they weren't carrying around guns for show.

"_He wouldn't want you to go back darlin'. Keep moving," _Logan told her quickly and she could almost feel her legs begin to move against her will with Logan and Erik's combined efforts to get her away from the danger.

_STOP IT! I am not leaving him. _

She nearly growled out loud when John said something about Logan being able to handle himself but turned to Bobby instead.

She knew that she wasn't being fair and that she was taking advantage of Bobby's feelings for her but she was desperate.

"Bobby! Please..." she begged her eyes starting to sting with tears of frustration and anger.

She watched as Bobby quickly thought.

_Please, _she sobbed inwardly.

"I didn't realize Xavier was taking in animals. Even animals as unique as you," the man continued.

_I am not an animal. _

"Who are you?" Logan asked still breathing heavily.

_Where do I know you from? How do I know you?_

"Don't you remember?" he gave him a sly, knowing smile.

Logan began to move towards the man like he was in a trance, the memories and pictures dancing through his mind of years forgotten.

* * *

Marie watched.

The men were so involved in their conversation and the soldiers were too busy focusing their guns on Logan that no one saw her and Bobby appear at the open panel or by the looks of things even heard it hiss open.

She began to panic when Logan moved closer to the unknown man...yet there was something familiar about him. She recognised the glint that she could see in his cold eyes – she had seen it in plenty of Erik's memories - memories of prison guards and wardens just before a round of bullets was fired.

No!

"Bobby," she whispered hardly loud enough for the boy to even hear her, "separate them somehow,"

Bobby nodded in understanding and placed his hand against the wall. Marie watched as the frost twisted and twirled as it travelled from his hand and along the wall...

* * *

Stryker.

The name slammed through Logan's head and stuck fast. This man was Stryker. But who was he?

Just as the thought came to him his senses flared. Frost.

The man in front of him took a step back in shock as ice began to form between them. Growing and spreading from one wall to the other - thick sheet of ice.

"No," Logan yelled reaching for the wall.

This man knew him. He needed to know more. Know who he was so he would be free.

"Logan come on lets go,"

Marie.

"Logan,"

The boy.

He turned and his senses seemed to come back to life. He could smell her and the boy as he saw them peering out of the passage in the wall. The boy had his hand pressed against the wall keeping up the ice sheet in front of him. He could smell their fear.

He glanced back at the wall.

This man, Stryker, he could answer the question of his past and leave his future free to be with Marie.

"Go, I'll be fine," he needed to talk to this man.

"But we won't" Marie's voice was tight and strained.

What was he thinking?

She was right. They were only kids. He couldn't leave them alone. He couldn't leave her alone.

He heard shuffling from the other side of the wall.

She was his life.

And a click.

He wasn't going to abandon her.

More shuffling.

He moved away from the wall hearing a whizzing noise from the other side of the ice wall and saw the shadowy arm of Stryker slam something into it.

"Keep moving,"

He followed Marie and Bobby into the tunnel and just as he slammed the panel shut behind him he heard a loud explosion followed by something that sounded like rain against a tin roof.

They raced down the tunnel and came up at the garage. Logan took in all the shining cars. There were dozens of them.

They raced towards one of them.

"I'm driving," the boy that wasn't _the boy _said reaching for the handle of the driver's side.

Logan grabbed him by the back of his shirt and propelled him towards the other door. What exactly did they teach the kids at this school?

"Maybe next time," he growled climbing in.

He heard the two doors to the back seats slam shut and saw that Marie was in the front.

Keys?

No keys.

_Claws are great._

"This is Cyclops's car," piped a useful voice from the back seat.

_Payback time - steeling the bike wasn't nearly enough. _

"Oh Yeah,"

Allowing one claw to slide from his arm he stuck it were the key should have gone and twisted.

The car sprung to life and they screeched noisily from the garage.

Marie sat slightly to the side in the front seat her eyes fixed on Logan's face as they sped down the road.

"Who the hell was that back there?" John asked his voice coming out unnaturally high.

"_That boy has no tact," _Erik yawned.

"_Thick as they come," _Logan agreed.

"Stryker," Logan replied.

* * *

Marie's mind whirled to life as her mental Logan began to pay attention and memories flooded her head. Men in uniform, champagne, flashing lights, laughing, pain, water...

"Who is he?" she asked gently, wanting to know if there was a connection between the memories that weren't hers and the man that had just attacked the place that had became her home.

"I can't remember," he replied brokenly and she could see his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

Marie wanted to ease his confusion in some way and if they were alone and if she was wearing gloves she would have but she could and instead she had to resort to sitting helplessly and watching him.

**Hi everyone. **

**I have just watched the new Wolverine film and personally though that it was a wee bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong it was good but not exactly how I thought it would be. Anyway it does offer plenty of inspiration despite that :)**

**I hope you like this chapter it was a bit easier than the last one to write. I know that right now it seems like a retelling of the film but it will get a bit more original as it goes on. **

**Anyway, please let me know what you think. **

**Have a great week and take care. **

**:-)**


	6. Boston

**It is very sad but I own nothing**

**Chapter 6 - Boston**

Marie watched the road as it zipped by the car that she knew was breaking several laws with the speed that it was going at. The moon was sending faint beams of light through the window as it broke through the trees, giving everything a mystical glow.

_Huh, who am I kidding? There is NOTHING magical about being on the run! _She snapped irritably at herself.

She felt something move by her wrist and looked down to see that Logan was gently touching one of the dog tags that she had wrapped around her wrist. She felt something clench inside her chest.

Did he want them back?

They had been such a comfort to her while he had been gone. They had been a physical reminder of his promise to her - always there to tell her he would be back.

She went to unwrap them – trying not to cry while she was doing it.

"No darling," his gruff voice was soft.

What?

She stopped what she was doing and looked up to see that Logan was still looking at the road ahead.

"You keep them,"

He glanced away from the road and smiled at her – her heart stuttered.

"You'll know I won't be far away then," he added softly and she wanted more than ever to hold his hand or hug him but knew that she couldn't – or that at least she would have to wait for a bit.

"Okay," she mumbled faintly giving him her own smile.

He was letting her keep them. She knew how important they were to him and he was allowing her to keep them even though he was back.

A few seconds of silence filled the car before John leaned forward and over the side of her seat. She flinched away and pushed herself nearer the window and door – putting as much distance as she could between their bodies.

"I can't stand uncomfortable silences," he told them reaching towards the dash board.

"What are you doing?" Marie asked, her nerves almost frazzled beyond recognition with him being so close to her bare skin. She hadn't really noticed it when they were running from the mansion but now she was in a small, confined space with three equally exposed people and she was starting to worry.

John reached for the stereo and turned it on filling the car with some boy band.

Marie flinched and pulled a face while Logan groaned beside her. This was one thing that she had got and kept from him - her hate for this kind of music. She paid some attention to Logan and Erik in her head and saw that they hated the music just as much.

"_Ouch, Kid come on," _Logan moaned covering his ears.

"_Mercy," _Erik was screeching in an overly dramatic way.

_You guys are such big babies. _

Silence once again filled the car when John turned it off and both she had Logan gave a sigh of relief.

She looked out of the window and turned back to the radio expecting to see John fiddling with the channels. But instead something was coming out of the base of the radio.

"I don't think that's the CD player," John murmured as whatever it was clicked into place.

Logan reached for it and pressed the sides.

It looked like a really fragile phone – there was hardly anything to it.

"Sit back," he told John and Marie relaxed slightly as the distance between them grew.

"Where are we goin'?" John asked as he settled in his seat in the back of the car.

"_Doesn't this kid ever shut up?" _Logan growled from inside her head.

"_Every two minutes he has to ask a question,"_

Marie concentrated on ignoring him, he was only grouchy because she had had to use Magneto's powers back at the mansion and not his own – they were such children sometimes. Like hand to hand combat would be any good with a gun pointing at you.

"Storm is in Boston so we'll head that way," Logan told him firmly, his voice telling them that there was no ifs or buts – they were going to Boston.

"My parents live in Boston," Bobby spoke for the first time since they had got in the car.

Marie felt a pang of sorrow for her friend. She knew that his parents didn't know that he was a mutant and that they were under the impression that the mansion was just a normal school.

It looked like they were going to be finding out the truth pretty soon.

* * *

Logan sighed heavily as he pulled into a side street and stopped the car. They had reached Boston quickly and it was still dark - everyone else in the car was fast asleep and had been for some time.

He looked at Marie who was curled up in the passenger seat her arms curled into herself – almost like she was trying to minimise the amount of skin showing. He reached out gently and tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear.

Logan gave into temptation and gently ran a finger down the side of her face – the familiar tug of her power not coming.

She shifted in her sleep and pushed towards him.

_My poor Marie. Only able to touch in her sleep. _

He pulled away and leaned back against the seat.

What was he supposed to do? He knew that the professor and Scott had gone to visit Magneto but he couldn't get in touch with them in any way – and besides he was sure that if the professor could he would have got in touch through his mind by now.

He closed his eyes.

* * *

Marie looked at Bobby's home still not able to believe that they had all managed to fall asleep.

They walked up the path and Bobby bent down and reached under one of the rocks and stood up with a smile on his face holding a key.

"_Typical,"_ Logan rolled his eyes in her head and she nearly giggled. Yeah she could have guessed that Bobby came from a family who kept the spare key under the plant pot (or the rock in this case)

They walked into the house and Bobby yelled for his family but no one was home.

"I'll try and find you some clothes," he turned slightly to her and she smiled.

_Yes, clothes. Nice and safe, skin covering clothes. _

"Don't burn anything," he ordered John and she couldn't help the smile that grew wider at that comment.

She followed Bobby up the stairs and gave Logan a quick smile when she felt him tense up as she walked past him. .

"My rooms in there," Bobby pointed at a closed door and she went in while he went further down the hall.

She looked around the room. It was so normal. There was a desk, a chest of drawers, pictures on the walls. It was just so...ordinary.

She looked at the desk and spotting an elastic band she grabbed it and used it to put up her hair just as Bobby came into the room with a pile of clothes.

"Found some of mom's old clothes," he smiled sheepishly as they moved towards each other.

"I think they are from before I was born," he added, handing them to her.

She nodded her head and grinned, not really caring when the clothes were from just that they would cover her.

"Groovy," she smiled holding them in front of her and over her chest.

"I'll um...I'll be outside," he mumbled and walked out of the door blushing.

_What is it with him?_

"_Bobby boy has got a crush on you darlin'," _Logan told her sounding more than annoyed.

_I know that, _she grumbled as she began to change - she still wasn't happy about that bit if information.

_What I mean is that he always seems to act weird... _she trailed of as she pulled the shirt over her head and pulled on the boots that he had brought for her to wear.

_Hmm, good thing his mom and I are the same size._

She sighed and walked to the door there was still the problem of her hands. But at least the rest of her was covered.

She opened the door and Bobby spun around holding something else out to her.

"They were my grandmother's," he explained.

Marie took what he was holding and unfolded them.

Gloves.

A dazzling smile burst to her lip and she pulled them on quickly before she looked up at him.

They were lovely. Almost like the ones that Logan had bought for her but a bit baggier. They were white and reached to just above her elbows still leaving a small strip of skin visible.

As she raised her head his face collided with hers.

What. She hadn't been that close had she?

She panicked and made to move away to only have her shoulders gripped. That was when she realised that his lips were on hers.

She struggled, trying her best to pull away.

Didn't he know what he was doing?

She could feel his lips moving on hers and squealed in her throat when she felt him stream into her. His power and his thoughts flowed into her through there connection and she didn't want them. She wanted so much to pull away but she couldn't.

"_Damn it. I'm going to kill this kid," _

"_Selfish boy,"_

Finally Bobby's hold began to slacken and she pushed him away. She fell backwards onto the floor as Bobby did the same and she backed up against the wall putting as mush distance as she could between them. Bobby was panting loudly and staring at her with something like fear in his eyes.

_Happy now? _

"Bobby," she gasped, her mind not functioning right as she tried to deal with what she had just absorbed - thoughts and powers alike.

In fact her breath was frozen and her lips felt like they were frost bitten.

"Marie,"

She heard Logan yell her name and running up the stairs.

_Oh no!_

* * *

Logan thought he had been waiting pretty patiently for Marie to come back down the stairs. Watching her go up them with the boy had been enough to bring the Wolverine but he had held back and instead wandered around the rooms while the other kid stared at some of the pictures on the walls.

It was a nice house as far as houses went. He was more of a small cabin in the middle of nowhere kind of man himself.

And that was when he heard a squeal from above his head, a squeal that belonged to Marie.

He began to head towards the stairs and stood at the bottom listening intently.

Then he heard two thuds and Marie gasping the boy's name. She sounded shocked.

What was going on?

"Marie?" he shouted as he began to run up the stairs his instincts beginning to take control.

He followed his nose and it led him to the right room.

He walked in to see the boy breathless on the floor and Marie curled up against the far wall with wide eyes and her lips looked...frozen.

Anger bubbled through him and his claws shot out.

The boy was so dead.

Before he could move however Marie had leapt from her place and thrown herself against him her small hands lying on his chest and doing a far better job of stopping him than chains and bars ever could.

"I'm fine Logan. I'm fine," she whispered.

He could feel her drop in body temperature as she pressed against him.

She was so cold.

His claws shot back into his arms and he wrapped one around her. She was shaking.

Stupid boy. Didn't he know that had him floating around in her head?

He growled in his throat as Bobby carefully stood up.

Logan went to move forward when he heard the front door open.

Great!

"Who are you

**Hi guys. **

**Right, so, I googled how long it would take to get from where the mansion is to Boston and it came up with about 4 hours. So I figured that it was dark when they left the mansion and when they got there Bobby's family had had enough time to go out and do something so they must have done something to use up some time (??) Well that was my thinking anyway.**

**And was it just me or did Logan look a bit disappointed when Marie gave him back the tags. **

**Yeah sorry about the whole Bobby kissing thing but at least we got a wee bit of angry Logan action. **

**Anyway I hope you liked this chapter. **

**Please review. **

**Keep safe.**

**:)**

**I need some ideas for how rogue could accidently touch someone. Anything at all - falling on them...anything. So if you wouldn't mind giving me a wee bit of help with that one that would be great. Thanks. I will need the idea either for the next chapter or the chapter after it so the quicker the better. Thanks again:)**


	7. Powers

**I still own nothing.**

**Chapter 7 - Powers**

Marie rushed along with the others to the jet that had just landed in the nick of time.

Her mind was racing.

She had just had to watch Logan being shot. Though her mind had screamed that he was fine, that the bullet hadn't even gotten past his adamantium skull she had panicked as soon as he had hit the ground.

In shock she had done what the officers had told them and she had sunk to the floor and onto her stomach, her hands in plain sight and her gaze fixed on Logan's lifeless body.

"_He's not dead darlin' he'll be up in no time," _Logan tried to comfort her.

Erik too told her something but that was when John decided to throw some fire balls around. She watched in fear as the two police officers pointing their guns at him went flying from the force of it and she watched as he turned around and flung one into Bobby's house.

No!

It was things like this that made normal people fear them - the few uncontrollable ones who damned the majority.

The cars on the lawn were his next target and she saw one car just swerve out the way in time to miss another one that was flying through the air.

She reached for her gloves in a moment of clarity while forgetting about Bobby's recently absorbed powers.

She gripped John's leg and concentrated on his power. She had never purposefully taken someone's powers before and it was different than in the past.

She focused on the power trying to keep as much of him out of her head as she could. Where Bobby had been all ice John was all flame and she groaned in pain feeling almost like the connection was scorching her hand.

She heard him gasp and the flame from his hand died away.

She reached out her other hand and acting on her instincts she felt for the flames, dragging the life from them and they burnt out in a matter of seconds leaving nothing but scorch marks on the lawn.

She pulled her hand away once the job was done but knew that she would now have more than a fair bit of Pyro's power within her.

_Great!_

Her heart nearly gave in when she saw Logan climb to his feet and crack his neck. He was alright.

"_I told you he would be,"_ Logan bragged within her head.

They all followed suit and stood too. She could feel John's eyes on her and knew that he would no doubt be keeping a fair distance between them for the foreseeable future.

They all ran for the jet and Marie almost stopped when she saw a familiar face sitting next to Storm at the controls.

JEAN.

"_What is she doing here?" _Logan growled in her head.

Marie quickly sat down and her attention was quickly taken away from Jean by the presence of another mutant – one that she had never seen before.

He was blue and from the way he was sitting he had a tail as well.

_Cool._

Logan strode straight to Storm while asking about the new recruit.

_Nightcrawler? Hmm wonder what he can do?_

* * *

Logan tried anything he could to avoid thinking about the presence of the red headed doctor and the fact that she was so close to Marie and in such a confined space. He could still smell the jealousy and envy pouring from her...

In fact what was she doing there to begin with? The professor had told him that she had left the mansion.

He shook his head and cracked his neck again. The last thing that he had heard before hitting the ground had been Marie's frightened yelp and for the time that he had been out something had definitely happened as he had woken to the scent is burnt rubber charred metal.

That boy's brother had been the one to call the police.

With a family like that who needed enemies.

He left his place behind Storm's seat and went to make sure that Marie was alright – the boys could look after themselves as far as he was concerned.

She looked so small in the seat.

He crouched down in front of her and smothered her hands in his own large paws.

"You OK darlin'?" he asked her gently.

She glanced up at him, breathing deeply and that was when he realised that her smell was different. There was an underlying scent. Or rather scents.

There was the faint scent of ice that made his nose tickle with cold which he knew probably came from that stupid boy – actually...her whole temperature was still lower than usual too. Stupid boy. He could still remember bursting into the room to see her up against the wall her lips blue and frozen. It was a good thing that the kids family decided to come in at that point...

But there was another scent hat seemed to almost counteract the other boys. Heat - the smell of flames. The same kind of scent hat he had picked up from the other boy – what was his name...Pyro.

When did she touch him? Or when did she touch him long enough for it to change her scent.

"What happened when I got shot Marie?" he asked her gently.

She gave a humourless laugh and began to play with his hand, tracing the bones just like she used to.

"John went a bit crazy," she mumbled, stealing a glance towards the boy who was glaring at her while playing with his lighter. He saw her gaze rest with disturbing intent upon the lighter before she turned back to him and gave him a strained smile.

"He started to set things on fire so I umm...I touched him," she mumbled and he got the impression that she was almost ashamed of what she had done.

Because of that boys temper tantrum she now had even more to deal with – two in one day in fact.

"Are you alright?" he asked knowing what kind of an affect absorbing him and Magneto had had on her to begin with.

She nodded her head and leaned back in the seat sighing.

"Yeah. It's just the power really. He doesn't really have a strong personality so you and Erik are kind of swallowing him and it's the same with Bobby – I can hardly feel either of them in my head – just their powers," she explained.

"Besides the professor taught me a little about how to deal," she added slowly.

He nodded his head showing that he understood. He was kind of pleased actually thinking of the two of them having weak personalities.

"Just as long as you are alright darlin'," he told her rising to his feet and looking down at her.

"I'll be fine," she smiled faintly at him and squeezed his hand before he released his hold on her.

He went back up to Storm and Jean.

"How far are we?"

Jean glance up at him and he recognised the glint in her eyes but there was something different about her. Something had changed.

And just what was she doing here anyway?

"We're coming up on the mansion right now," she told him her voice thick and silky.

_What is it with this woman?_

"There's two signals approaching – fast," Storm told them looking down at one of the screen. He could hear the slight panic in her voice.

One of the approaching aircraft gave them their orders and ten second to do it in.

_This is not good. _

"Wow. Somebody's angry," Storm mumbled flicking a switch and looking at him.

"I wonder why," Logan snapped looking behind him at the kid who was still playing with his lighter. The little punk only looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Logan's anger at the kid flared and he looked away to see another plane pull up beside them, he looked to the other side and saw the same thing.

_Great. Surrounded. _

* * *

Marie tried to stay calm through the whole thing but it wasn't really working. She was just glad for the techniques that the professor had taught her because dealing with everything would have had her head exploding.

He had taught her how to deal with newly absorbed powers and personalities in case of any accidents so that she didn't have to go through what she did with Logan and Erik but it was still straining her mind.

And now they were being chased by the air force.

Fantastic.

Storm began to make the jet do all sorts of weird and wonderful things and she felt the dips in her stomach and she struggled with her harness but the material of her gloved wouldn't allow her to grip the clasp and she panicked holding onto it as tightly as she could.

She grabbed at one of her gloves and quickly tore it from her hand stuffing it deep into a pocket.

She was as near to hysterical as she had ever been and every muscle in her body was rigid with tension as she was jerked about by the movement of the plane.

She fumbled with the harness – her one un-gloved hand gripping the belt easily but her other hand just slid away.

Suddenly the jarring and swooping motion of the jet stopped and the darkness that she hadn't even realised was there began to fade outside the jet. She relaxed into her seat and joined everyone in an audible sigh of relief - until a beeping noise filled the jet.

"_That does not sound good,"_

"_I would be inclined to agree,"_

Marie began to panic again, grabbing for the glove that she was still wearing to get it off and a proper grip on her harness when an explosion had her ears ringing.

Air rushed into the jet winding her for a second as her body was forced against her seat and then just as quickly her legs were taken from under her and her whole body was whipped backwards.

She grabbed frantically for something – anything – and ended up grabbing hold of the back of her seat. She couldn't hold on though and finally found breath to scream when she went flying from the plane.

She flailed about wildly – not knowing what to do.

She kept trying to grab for something to hold into but there was nothing but empty air. As she spun about crazily she saw the jet getting further away – a stream of smoke coming from it – and the ground was getting nearer.

Her mind raced her, thoughts going through her head so quickly she couldn't catch them, but one thought was loud and clear.

_I'm going to die. _

Just as the thought became her focus she felt arms close about her.

She saw a flash of blue.

_Nightcrawler._

Her arms still flying about in panic she was aware of the roar of air disappearing for a second before the direction they were falling in changed.

She had a split second to realise that they were back in the plane before her bare hand slammed into something – something soft, warm and definitely human.

Something surged through her, burning her veins as it lodged in her mind, overshadowing all the others present in her mind.

They landed with a thump and she was aware of Nightcrawler dulling her landing.

She buried her face in his chest trying not to scream at that pain that was coursing through her. It was different from when she had touched John – this was consuming her soul.

Everything that was happening about her fogged over as time seemed to slow down.

Who had touched her?

Whoever it was it hadn't even been for a second – hardly even long enough for her powers to kick in and yet it was like whatever it was had leapt into her.

She tried to access whatever it was but she couldn't – it was like there was a locked box in her head, a box locked from the inside.

She came out of her mind when the grip Nightcrawler had on her waist loosened. It was when she looked up that she realised just how far into the jet they had gone. They were right at the front, on the floor by the controls with Jean and Ororo at either side of them. Neither of them seemed to be showing signs of being touched by her.

So who had she touched?

She looked out of the window to see Magneto and Mystique underneath them. It was them that she could feel the frozen magnetic fields and saw Magneto's out stretched hand as he kept the jet held in mid air.

_Where did they come from?_

Magneto glanced towards Mystique and they shared a smile. It made her skin crawl.

"When will these people learn how to fly?"

**Dun, dun, dun.**

**So who did she touch? All will be revealed in the next chapter (or the one after that it depends how it goes). And evil Jean is back...**

**I'm not that good at describing actioney things so I'm sorry if I've messed up anything in any way. **

**Thank you to usually mostly innocent, karibbean and moonfirecat4 for your suggestions for Marie touching someone :).**

**I hope that you like this and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you**

**Keep safe :)**

**Oh and who would like a chapter that is nice and fluffy and does absolutely nothing (or near to nothing anyway) in forwarding the story line? Let me know. **

**:)**


	8. Holding You Close

***hic* still *sob* own *snort* NOTHING *wails hysterically while thinking of everything that could have happened* But the show must go on ;-)**

**Chapter 8 – Holding You Close**

Logan held Marie as close as he could, trying to keep himself together.

He had heard her scream as she had been sucked through the hole and thrown from the jet and as soon as he had he had felt his world shatter and his heart break.

Thoughts had rushed through his mind as his heart had stopped beating within his chest and had dropped to his stomach.

He couldn't live without her.

Before he could reach for the buckle of his harness the blue mutant (who reminded him creepily of Mystique) had vanished and then reappeared. In the blink of an eye he had vanished alone and returned with Marie clasped tightly in his arms and they had both been catapulted to the front of the jet.

He would be grateful to him until his dying day – whenever that would be.

He had felt eyes on him and had glanced quickly away from Marie to see Jean staring at him. He knew at that moment that she had heard his desperate thoughts. She knew how he felt. But he didn't care.

He had thought that Marie's rescue had proved to be worthless when the jet had continued to plummet towards the ground – he knew there was a reason he hated flying. He knew that he would survive the crash just like he would have survived the fall but if things had ended that way he would have been seeking out the quickest way to end his existence after hunting down Stryker for being the cause of it all.

But none of that had happened. A soon as he had thought things were beyond hope the jet had jerked to a stop a metallic creaking coming from the back of the plane as the hole closed over.

Suspended by their harness – the jet pointing nose first towards the ground – they all had a clear view of Magneto and his loyal blue side kick.

As soon as Magneto had manoeuvred the jet to a suitable landing place he had darted from his seat and torn Marie from the other mutant's arms – by some miracle avoiding her skin that was exposed due to the missing glove. He gave a jerky nod to Nightcrawler who smiled and slowly inclined his head in acknowledgment. Logan couldn't trust himself to talk – his emotions were too raw.

He held the shivering Marie tightly in his arms and was aware of the others shuffling out of the jet – no doubt to kiss the ground in thanks of being alive. But right now as far as he was concerned there was only the two of them and a thousand Magneto's couldn't tear him from her.

He slowly inched back to his seat and sat down, drawing Marie's small frame with him - he wasn't planning on letting her go any time soon if he could.

She quickly curled up against him until her un-gloved side was pressed against his covered chest and she was laying sideways across his lap, her head leaning against his shoulder just as it had many times before in the past.

He rubbed her gloved arm with his hands knowing that shock and panic were making themselves known on her body and causing her shivers.

He glanced around, desperately looking for something to cover her with to heat her up and seeing a jacket slung over the back of a chair behind him he stood up. Gently setting Marie down in the seat he planted a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"I'll be a second baby," he whispered to her not wanting her to panic in anyway.

She nodded her head and he quickly went to the seat at the back of the jet and grabbed the jacket.

Returning to Marie he saw her shakily putting her glove back on and wondered why she had it off to begin with. Never had he known her to have them of in the presence of others and only on few occasions had she had them of in his presence.

Carefully he grasped her arms and drew her to her feet and putting the jacket on her he zipped it up. She stood still and willing while he manoeuvred her arms through the sleeves and he began to worry.

As soon as he was done he took her back into his arms and began to rub her arms and back in soothing circles – trying to reassure himself just as much as her.

He had nearly lost her!

He could have lost her!

"I can't stop shaking," she whispered into his chest and his heart clenched painfully inside him.

"I know baby. It'll stop in a while," he reassured her softly as he moved back into the seat and pulled her down with him. Immediately she curled up against him, her head resting under his chin and one arm holding him to her – not like he needed that to stay with her – and the other sandwiched between them.

"I...I nearly died," she whispered brokenly and his hold on her tightened.

There was nothing he could say to answer that. She **had** nearly died. If it hadn't been for the presence of the other mutant she would have died. He had moved to go after her but what could he have done? He more than likely would have survived the fall but she would not have – even if he had landed below her.

He shuddered at the thought.

All he could do was hold her and rock her as gradually the shaking faded and her erratic breathing became more even and her grip on his shirt loosened.

* * *

Marie lay exhausted in Logan's arms.

She couldn't remember anything between noticing that she was shaking and seeing Magneto holding up the plane but she did know that she was safe.

The burning within her had finally faded but she felt different. She felt changed. Oh she was still Marie but something had shifted within her and she had a feeling it had to do with the locked box within her mind. She looked at her arms and saw that they were covered and realised that she was wearing a jacket and her glove was back on.

_Logan must have put it on me. _

She could feel the tension in Logan's body and the strength in his hold on her and their nights together a year ago came back to her.

He used to dream that Magneto had killed her and that he had never made it in time.

She looked up at his face and saw the torment in his expression and slowly she reached up a hand to his face and drew his gaze to hers.

She smiled faintly, still trembling inwardly but trying her best not to show it.

"I'm fine Logan. Thank you," she told him softly, gently she traced his eyes with her now steady fingers. Everything about him calmed her - his touch, his smell, his voice, his strength – everything.

He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it and her heart nearly leapt from her throat as her stomach did a flip.

"Don't ever do anything like that to me again Marie," he told her almost roughly as he pulled her tighter against him – if that was even possible.

"Me doing that to you?" she coughed remembering what had happened at Bobby's home.

"You scared the life out of me earlier. Will you please try not to get shot in the head next time?"

He barked out a laugh and squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind baby," he mumbled.

"You do that,"

They sat in silence for a bit longer and Marie began to trace patterns on his shirt with her finger. If she closed her eyes she could imagine that they were lying in bed, in their room at the mansion and nothing bad had happened – no Stryker, no soldiers, no police – but it had happened.

As the silence lengthened she could sense his mood thickening and becoming more brooding with every second. Desperately she tried to think of something to lighten the mood.

She found it and began to giggle.

"Art?" she giggled helplessly.

"Art?" she could hear the confusion in his voice.

_Good. At least it will keep his mind of things. _

"At Bobby's house – Professor of Art," she giggled again.

She had held it in at the time but now that she thought about it, it was hilarious. His body language and tone had been priceless.

Logan barked out a laugh and she could feel him rub his chin across the top of her head.

"Yeah well, they were irritating," he rumbled as though that explained it all.

"Oh Logan you didn't even hear the best of it," she confided.

"What was that darling?"

"When you went out to answer Storm his mom asked him if he had ever tried 'not being a mutant'"

Marie couldn't hold in the laughter and she could feel it rumble through his chest.

That had been one of the craziest, stupidest questions she had ever heard in her life. Utterly ridiculous.

Their laughter died out and another silence engulfed them and would have dragged on if Storm had not entered the jet and strode towards them.

* * *

Logan had to give it to her, the weather witch didn't even blink when she saw Marie in his arms.

She came up to them and crouched in front of Marie, concern plain across her face.

"Are you alright honey?" she asked gently and he could feel Marie nod her head against his chest.

He knew Marie well enough to know that she had been trying to distract his thoughts purposefully a few minutes before but despite her efforts he could not shake the thought that he had nearly lost her. It would have been so easy and it still was. There were so many things in the world that could steal her from him.

"I'm sorry Logan but Magneto wants to talk to us," she told him, sounding sincerely apologetic as she glanced up from her study of Marie.

Marie immediately uncurled from his lap and stood up at the woman's words. He immediately felt her absence but he kept a hold of her hand and stood up to.

His hands automatically went to keep her with him as she moved away but she threw him a reassuring smile.

"That's fine...I...I have to go and find Nightcrawler anyway," she mumbled.

Logan watched as she walked from the plane and he felt a heaviness begin to grow in his chest until she turned around and smiled at him before disappearing from his view.

"OK, let's go get this over with," he sighed.

Talking with Magneto really was the last thing that he wanted to do but he had stopped the jet so he supposed he could at least listen to whatever the maniac had to say.

"Logan before you go there is something you should know..." she trailed of and Logan looked at her expectantly not in the mood to play games.

"Jean joined with Magneto,"

* * *

Mystique traced the scars on her stomach, a faint sadistic smile on her face.

She never scared and yet this man had marked her.

She licked her lips.

There was something deliciously, attractively dangerous about the Wolverine and tonight she was going to get a piece of it.

She watched him carefully, trying to see who it would be best for her to become.

She knew that Jean had a bit of a thing for him from what she could see but she was not sure if the feeling was mutual.

There was Storm but she couldn't see any underlying chemistry – but that was nothing to go by.

All the way through the meeting she had noticed his short temper and the way that his eyes had always flicked constantly to the clearing where the tents had been set up and the girl - the girl that they had taken over a year ago.

But no. She must have been wrong. Breakable, silly, immature good little girls were not for the Wolverine.

A flicker of light caught her yellow gaze as the ramp of the jet lowered and the man of the moment came down the walk way closely followed by Jean.

_Hmm Interesting. _

Mystique watched avidly as things played out and turned from the scene with a victorious smile on her face when she saw them kiss.

_Jean Grey it is then._

**Yes I know yet another cliff hanger – getting good at them aren't I :)**

**Wee bit of fluffiness for you. I have missed writting it but this story doesen't really call for cute stuff apart from the occassional little bit so I will continue to pop it in wherever I can. **

**Mystique's POV - what do you think? (i am thinking io having a little bit of her POV in the next chapter in the tent so let me know what you think)**

**Now nobody start coming up with the creative death threats just yet the next chapter shall reveal all (and then you can decide how you want me to suffer :))**

**Anyhoo please let me know what you think pretty, pretty please. **

**The next chapter is partly written (on paper unfortunately and still needs to be typed) but the chapter after that is fully written (I came up with it while I was working on A Dream Made of Nightmares so it has been waiting a while:)). I hope to have them up ASAP but I was off college with the flu last week so I have a little bit of catching up to do (boooo) but I hope to have them up before Friday (hopefully)**

**Keep safe and I hope you all have a great week. **

**:)**

**PS. By the way I am thinking of changing my pen-name (just to give you all a heads-up) You see I chose phantom-lass manly because my only thought was to write a Phantom of the Opera fan fiction – well you can see how that worked and I actually think I am a bit better at the Rogan fics than the Phantom one I did. So I have kinda gone of the name a wee bit so I am trying to think of something else. Just to let you know so no one panic if one day my name changes. I will let you know though. **

**:)**


	9. Absorbing

**I still own nothing.**

**Chapter 9 - Absorbing**

Logan slumped back on his sleeping bag, a growl coming to his lips.

What was it with that damned woman?

He had been in the jet tinkering with the wires and controls that had been damaged by a surge after the missile had hit it, when his senses had picked up the smell of Jean. He chose to ignore her until he felt her behind him. Every animal instinct in his body screamed at being cornered by the women. He hated having people so close to him – apart from Marie.

And then he had very nearly given into the urge to take her hand of when he had felt her finger trail along the skin at the back of his neck - he had growled in anger and spun around his eyes flashing to see Jean just standing there, a smile on her face.

This women had joined with the enemy – the enemy that had strapped Marie into that death machine – and she was still trying at her pitiful attempts to seduce him.

And of course she had played the child card with him – again. In fact after the first time at the mansion it was pretty old.

His Marie was no child. She was young yes but not the infantile, immature teenager that everyone seemed to be in a rush to call her. She was loving, loyal and a hell of a lot more mature than some women he knew – like one red headed doctor.

He didn't know that he had said the words until he was walking down the ramp in an attempt to put as much space as possible between himself and the spiteful women. He could hear her steps ringing out behind him but didn't turn. Damn it, he had so needed to see Marie at that moment so badly.

Stepping from the ramp his boots hit the hard earth and he pivoted to walk round the side of the plane.

His arm was grabbed in a talon like grip – nails digging into his flesh through the jacket – and he snarled as he turned more than ready to rip the women to shreds when her lips had collided with his.

Thoughts rushed through his mind within a second.

One – this woman was really getting on his nerves.

Two – did she want to die?

Three – This kiss had nothing on the kiss he and Mare had shared under the mistletoe.

He grabbed her arms roughly, not caring if he hurt her, and dragged her from him.

He looked her up and down. She was still wearing that almost feline smile and her whole posture shouted confidence.

"Never try that again Jean," he snarled at her.

"And the offer still stands. If you so much as look at Marie the wrong way I will make good on my promise," he told her, his voice low and deadly.

He stormed away and his feet followed his nose before he even knew what he was doing and he found himself at Marie's tent. The flap was open and she was lying on her back looking up at the seams above her head.

"Hey darlin'," he whispered, crouching down outside the tent.

She sat up, a dazed look in her eyes – and something else, a flash of something but it was gone when he looked closer. She looked drawn and strained and every protective instinct within him rose up, needing to fix the wrong.

"You ok darlin'?" he asked her in concern.

She nodded her head and gave him that smile that seemed to be only for him.

"Just tired sugar," she mumbled, even her voice sounded strained – like it was taking a great effort for her to speak.

He nodded his head in understanding but couldn't stop the frown that came to his face.

"Ok darlin', you get some sleep," he whispered, reaching for the flap and lowering it.

She was nodding her head and lying back down before her had even finished the sentence.

It was worrying.

So he had made his way back to his own tent and was now fuming quietly at the nerve of Jean.

He heard movement outside and waited for the footsteps to go by and was surprised when they stopped outside the closed flap of his tent.

The zip moved from the other side and he watched as the material gaped and was shifted to the side. He growled when Jean walked in.

_Doesn't this woman ever give up?_

"Now look-"he started, sitting up, only to be cut of when Jean all but flung herself at him.

He grabbed at her waist in an attempt to stop her and his fingers met the exposed skin of her stomach and his fingers brushed against something.

_Mystique. _

He felt it – the scars that matched his claws exactly from the Statue of Liberty – and he knew the minute that the kiss stopped that she knew.

He heard the sickly crackling noise as Jeans body gave way to blue scales.

"No one's ever left a scar quite like you," she told him huskily as he looked up at her.

"Do you want an apology?" he bit out, thinking that it really was a shame he hadn't succeeded. She was just one more danger to Marie.

"You know what I want," she told him, her voice syrupy as she leant down.

Yes unfortunately he did know what she wanted. But why? This woman was seriously twisted.

He could feel her breath on his neck and flinched away snarling when he felt her tongue flick out by his ear.

She drew away again and he was looking up into her face.

"But what do you want?" she asked him.

Logan watched as her body changed shape and colour. The scales flicked away and he was looking into Storms face.

_She cannot be serious?_

* * *

How could she have been wrong?

She had seen them. She had seen them kissing and yet there was no mistaking his distaste for her...or rather the form she was in.

So Jean was not the one he was interested in. Well then. Plan B

At her will her form changed. Her hair became white and her skin tanned. Perhaps the weather one was more to his taste after all.

Still nothing. Nothing in his breathing, nothing in his expression, nothing at all told her that he was attracted.

Her mind worked quickly – used to coming up with ideas in a short time.

That girl. She had seen him coming from the girl's tent before she had come. She had seen the gentle expression he had worn...

There was nothing she could lose so she let her body go again. She became shapier, a little shorter, her hair longer and darker – all but one streak - , her skin paler and younger.

Bingo!

She saw it then. The slight flicker of shock in his eyes. The way his body tensed and his nose flared and the way his breathing hitched.

Hmm. So the big bad wolverine had a soft spot for the untouchable girl after all.

She smiled, seductively.

_I believe I have just found your weakness Wolverine. _

* * *

Logan froze and then threw her from him.

How dare she?

"What do you really want?" she mocked and he watched as she now turned into the form of Stryker.

"I want you to get out," he ordered her.

She slinked from the tent and he let out a sigh running a hand over his face and through his hair.

_Why Marie? How did she get to her? Why go from Jean and Storm to Marie..? There was no connection. _

And then when she had smiled that utterly seductive smile he had lost it. Marie would never look anything like that – she would never wear that expression. Even though everything about the body that had hovered above him had been Marie it had not been her looking back at him from the pair of brown eyes. They were hard and calculating – they were Mystique. It was not Marie's soft, warm, caring gaze that had rested on him...

_I really wish I'd killed her. _

* * *

Marie tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep, her legs kicking restlessly and her arms thrusting about wildly.

The burning was getting worse - tearing through her body and mind, consuming and destroying.

Suddenly her movements stopped and her chest dropped as a deep breath escaped from her lungs.

_Marie stood tall, turning in a circle as she looked around herself but seeing nothing - nothing but a blinding white from all sides. _

_Where was she?_

_Where was Logan?_

_She began to panic when a voice seemed to blanket her and sooth her fears. _

"_Be calm child," the voice was smooth...almost like a cooling breeze. _

_She spun around, her eyes wide and her heart beating violently. Wherever she was it looked like she was still alone but it didn't feel like it. _

"_Who are you?" her voice echoed about the...space, shaky and insecure and sounding hoarse compared to the other voice. _

"_I am Phoenix,"_

**[I was going to leave it there but I figured that I have cliff hangered you all to death :)]**

"_Phoenix?" _

_Marie's thoughts raced. She didn't know anyone who went by that name – no one who had been on the plane anyway and a part of her was screaming that this had something to do with the accidental touch. _

"_Where did you come from?" she asked slowly, trying to sound more confident than she had a minute before. _

"_Come now child, surely you mean 'who'" the voice replied and she was sure she could hear the laugher in the tone. _

_Ok this is getting weird. _

"_Fine then. Who did you come from?" she amended, speaking defiantly though she was quaking inside. _

"_I am from Jean Grey,"_

_No that can't be right. The voice sounded nothing like Jean. She couldn't be Jean. And besides Jean had taken no other name – not that she knew of anyway. _

"_You are correct. I am not Jean. I am her mutation,"_

"_I don't understand,"_

_There was a long pause and Marie began to think that she had been left alone. _

"_I shall have to explain everything then," she voice finally spoke, patiently._

_There was another pause and Marie waited._

"_Jean is very powerful. More so than she pretends and more so than your professor but she does not share his principles when it comes to the use of such power,"_

"_She is powerful because you are," Marie tried to work it out. _

"_That is correct child,"_

"_Then why aren't you anything like her?"_

_Marie wasn't stupid. She knew that the doctor had a very strong dislike for her but she was getting no sense of any such feelings from the voice, Phoenix. _

"_I am...neutral. It is a person who decides how to use their mutation,"_

_This was really starting to fry Marie's brain. She was so used to a person's mutation being a part of them not a separate, talking being. _

"_Your professor knew of this and when Jean was young he thought that he had succeeded is shutting Jean of from her powers but he was fooled. Jean has always known,"_

_Ok. So the professor was under the impression that he had separated Jean from Phoenix and therefore stopping Jean from influencing her powers in a bad way. _

"_That is right child,"_

_Can't I even think in private?_

"_What exactly is it you can do?" she asked curiously having forgotten about the blinding white whatever she was in and totally absorbed in the conversation. _

"_Anything," came the ghostly reply. _

"_Anything?"_

"_Yes. Anything you can imagine,"_

"_Well that would explain why the professor wouldn't want her to be able to access them especially if she had no conscience in using them,"_

"_And now you to possess such power,"_

_Oh dear. I never thought of that._

Marie woke up suddenly and sat bolt upright in her tent.

It was Jean she had absorbed.

"Are you still there," she whispered into the darkness.

"Phoenix?"

"_Yes child, I'm here,"_

Ok so that ruled out the idea of it just being a really, majorly freaky dream.

She needed light. Suddenly the darkness in the tent felt like it was swallowing her up.

_Light, light, light. _

She felt around, desperately trying to find the lamp when suddenly light swamped the tent momentarily blinding her.

As the dots cleared from in front of her eyes she glanced around the tent. There, a good three feet from her hand, was the lamp. And it was on.

_What? Did I do that?_

"_Yes child you did,"_

_No. You mean you did it. Right?_

"_No Marie. You did it. I am separate and yet I am also a part of you now. It was YOU who switched on the lamp,"_

Marie began to feel silly for not understanding what she was being told but she couldn't get it in her head. She was used to what she had had to deal with through Logan and Erik yet with Phoenix it all seemed so much easier – but she wasn't a person. She was a power. It didn't make sense to her.

"_Think of me as any of the others you absorbed child. Forget about the fact that it was Jean that you touched. If it is easier think of me as an actual person if you must,"_

Thinking like that did make it easier. Shame about it not being the strict truth.

"_I shall just be like any of the other's you have absorbed and are in your mind,"_

With that the newest presence within her mind began to fade and she realised that the locked box was gone from her mind altogether. She felt Phoenix getting comfortable in a corner of her already busy head.

Erik and Logan came back in full force once the full influence of Phoenix wore away.

"_Marie, are you alright?"_ Logan sounded desperate.

"_Child, are you well?"_ Erik sounded just as bad.

Mare sighed remembering that the last time that she had spoken to them or had been aware of them within her head had been when she was hurtling through the air, hundreds of feet above the ground.

Boy did she have some explaining to do.

_Guys I need you to listen carefully..._

**Hi.**

**So what do you think of my twist. **

**Do you like it? Do you hate it?**

**I was a little annoyed at my explanation of things but I couldn't seem to get it any better. **

**Let me know what you think.**

**Keep safe.**

**:)**


	10. Changing

**I still own nothing**

**Chapter 10 – Changing**

Marie had gone through the morning in a kind if trance - doing things from habit more than from will.

And now they were back on the jet.

Logan had out on one of the uniforms that were hanging in a sliding out cupboard and had told her and Bobby to come back in a couple of years when they asked where theirs were.

_How am I supposed to tell everyone what happened?_

Trying to distract herself with random thoughts wasn't working very well anymore. Actually it hadn't worked at all but she could dream couldn't she.

She didn't know what to do. She had been keeping a close eye on Jean the whole morning when they were in the clearing and now that they were in the plane but...she was acting so...Jeaney. Apart from the fact that she had joined with Magneto there was nothing that creamed out "Hi, get on my wrong side and I'll liquidise you all"

She hadn't even told Logan yet who was being very protective with her and seemed to have something – other than his usual thing – against Mystique. If looks could kill the blue women would be buried.

"_Why don't you just tell him child? It is obvious he knows something is different_," Erik's voice filled her head.

"_Yeah just say to him "Hey Logan, I am more screwed up than usual but at least we match now. What a couple we would make,"_

Marie rolled her eyes at Logan's comment. She was used to them making fun if her because of her feeling for the real him but at a time like this she couldn't really see the funny side.

"_Men!"_

Okay this was different.

Phoenix had stayed silent in her head since she had told Erik and Logan about what had happened but now she was talking.

"_Hey, lady, no one asked for your opinion. We were all doing just fine before you came along,"_ Logan ground out angrily.

She tuned them out when all three of them began to argue. Great. Fantastic.

And now she had just heard the conversation between John and Magneto and knew that John was considering joining Magneto. His appraisal of his powers had fanned the super big ego that she was more than aware John possessed. She loved him she did but that did not mean that she was blind to his faults.

She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face. She had both Bobby and John in her head now, but compared to Logan and Erik they were weak and young so their actual presence was very quiet inside her mind, but their powers weren't. She could feel them pushing at her, desperate for a release and she itched to take the lighter from John-

"_Wow, I really am a piece of work," _Erik muttered in her mind, interrupting her thoughts and she could not help but smile him.

_Just don't be gettin' any ideas Erik do you hear me, _she told him firmly, the last thing the world needed was two Magneto's wondering around.

"_Of course not my dear but one has to admire the pure subtleness of everything that he does," _he explained.

"_A god amongst insects...it's inspired really," _he drifted back in her mind his voice fading.

Marie had been so caught up with Erik for those few seconds that she did not even realise that she had been starring with a stupid expression plastered across her face at Magneto and Mystique.

She blinked rapidly, clearing her head just in enough time to see Mystique lean into Magneto and whispering in his ear.

They both looked toward her and she smiled slightly. They were working together now it was the least she could do.

"We love what you've done with your hair," Magneto smiled, his face evil.

"_What!" _all three of the voices screamed in her head and she heard a growl escape from the real Logan's throat as she reached for her glove and began to pull it from her hand, anger rushing through her fuelled by the three in her head as well as herself. He had nearly killed her and now he was mocking her openly and with no regrets. Heat rushed through her veins.

_I'll suck him dry, _she snarled inwardly in a rare flare of blood thirsty anger.

She stepped forward more than ready to make him beg her to let him go as she sucked the life from him when a heavy hand landed gently on her shoulders.

"Marie, he's not worth it darlin'," Logan's rough voice washed through her mind, washing away the angry thoughts that had came purely from his and Erik's presence in her head.

She stopped pulling at her glove and allowed him to pull her back slightly. She back stepped a she pulled her glove back on and Logan pushed her against his chest. She could feel him drawing every breath against her back and the feeling soothed her slightly.

She saw Magneto raise an eyebrow at her, his sardonic smile never flickering as he sat with his arms crossed over his chest – like he owned everything – and the jokey chuckle that escaped from Mystique's grinning lips.

She had had enough.

She reached out with her mind and felt every metallic buzz within the ship – even the ship itself – big or small and she knew she could do anything she wished with any of it and now with Phoenix she was more able than Erik himself.

She searched for the item she was looking for amongst the buzzing.

The helmet went flying from its place next to Magneto and flew straight to her, she caught it effortlessly.

She saw the shock now plastered across Magneto's face replacing the sly grin.

Marie smiled in victory as she turned the helmet about in her hands - looking at it this way and that. Front, back and sides - taking her time with her examination. Trying to drag out the time that Magneto had to spend separated from his precious helmet.

_Hmmm very bland looking. _

She felt the pull of Magneto's power not even a second before he pulled at it to bring the helmet back to him and she counteracted his move, producing the positive and negative charges she needed to make all his attempts useless – performing an intricate dance with the forces. It didn't matter how quick he was she was always faster.

Never again would he underestimate her.

Never again would he take advantage of her.

"_Ha that'll show him darling,"_ Logan praised her.

"_Ho, ho, bet ya he is annoyed," _Erik sang, smirking at the real him who was looking very shocked and put out.

"_Well done child," _Phoenix praised her.

After a few more seconds Marie figured that she had made her point and flung the helmet back at him, he managed to stop it just before it smashed into his chest and she heard the slight grunt that he made when he caught it.

"He's right...it is a dorky lookin' helmet," she told him, smiling sweetly before turning around and allowing Logan to lead her to the seats at the front of the plane.

"You've learned a lot while I've been gone darlin'," Logan said, sitting down opposite her and taking her hand in his, stroking it just like he used to.

She gave him a weak smile, feeling proud of herself and gaining an advantage over Magneto.

"Danger-room sessions," she mumbled by way of explanations.

In fact it had been a lot more than that.

She had started to channel her absorbed powers not long after he had left, trying to learn how to use them other than when she was angry and as soon as she had found the key it had been plain sailing.

She had started small where Erik's power was concerned - trying to move paper clips or screws from a few feet away to a whole room's length away. Then it was balancing them on top of each other, building pyramids and shapes with them and trying to hold them together. Things just went from one thing to another after that. Until she could move stools and reshape them, lift cars in the garage with a wave of her hand and when she had a big enough field to play with she could even float as high up in the air as she wanted as long as she didn't run out of a metallic field.

And now with Phoenix...everything was so much easier. She didn't feel the pressure from the power as she had with Erik and Logan. It was like it had always been a part of her.

Logan just smiled at her his expression telling her that he knew it was more than she was telling him.

She felt bad for not telling him the entire truth but she didn't know what to tell him.

"I can see that," he said softly still stroking her hand.

Oh she had missed that so much.

* * *

Logan stroked Marie's small gloved hand gently. She had obviously gained confidence in the powers that she had absorbed and he was glad of this. She needed the confidence.

Her smell was off though. Oh she was still Marie but there was an underlying smell that flitted about.

It was like the scent of the two boys and yet it was different - like it was a part of her. He knew that she had ended up touching both of the boys the day before but that wasn't the scent. He couldn't put his finger on it.

He knew that he had been harsh earlier when she and iceboy had asked about the x-uniforms but he could not handle thinking if her being put in danger way intentionally. It was enough for him to stand her being in the situation that they were all in now. But in the future could he handle it if she decided to join the team of self proclaimed super heroes?

Storm landed the jet a few minutes later and started to press some of the hundreds of buttons and dials that covered the controls.

_I hate technology._

* * *

Marie sat back in her seat while Ororo talked through the hologram that hovered in the middle of the plane.

It was an image of the dame that was just a few hundred meters away from where the jet had landed.

"I'll go. I've got a feeling he'll want me above,"

Marie's heart froze in her chest and a horrible chill covered her body. She didn't want him going in there. She didn't want him going anywhere near that man. That man would not think twice about shooting to kill – she knew that for sure.

"...what do you plan to do, scratch it with your claws," Magneto was saying as he walked through the hologram towards were Logan was standing just by the side of her chair.

She couldn't help but snigger at the comment and gave an apologetic smile and shrug of the shoulders when Logan clanked towards her before answering the metal controlling mutant - it wasnt her fault she had picked up a bit of Erik's sense of humour was it?.

"I'll take my chances," he answered coolly and she could see his knuckles turning white as he clenched them tightly.

_No you will not. You are not chancing anything Logan. _

"But I won't,"

_Good. For once we agree on something Magneto. _

She watched as Magneto's gaze rested on Mystique who was looking very smug.

_Ahhh. I see what he is going to do. _

The team spent a few minute talking over what they were going to do and at the end it was pretty clear that Bobby, John and she were all to stay in the jet because it was – quote – "dangerous".

"_Hm. They stereo type you as a child and yet you are probably one of the most dangerous things in the world," _Phoenix had mumbled in her head and she had to agree with her.

She knew that at least in Storms head she was having them all stay behind because of their age but Logan was different. She knew it was because he was worried about her – pure and simple – she had a feeling that he would be acting the same even if she was forty.

The others had all left the plane but before Logan could step onto the ramp she grabbed his arm and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly to her. She felt his gloved hand come up to her head and stroke her hair gently.

"Please be careful Logan," she begged him, pulling away and standing away from him.

He stroked her cheek gently and she fought the urge to close her eyes at the sensation.

"I always do baby," he whispered softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head before he turned and walked down the ramp.

_Please come back._

**Woohoo. I am sooooo happy that you all enjoyed the last chapter. I really wasn't too sure of it but YIPEE. **

**Anyway I hope that you all liked this chapter too. I liked giving Marie a little bit of spunk when it came to facing Magneto – that bit always disappointed me in the film a little bit. **

**Please let me know what you think.**

**Keep safe and have a great weekend. **

**:)**


	11. One of a Kind

**Still own nothing**

**Chapter 11 – One of a Kind**

Marie sat in the plane - thinking deeply and quietly while Bobby and John poured over the controls at the front of the plane.

Personally she though the 'adults' were crazy in allowing them to remain on the jet alone – didn't they know that they were basically begging for an accident to happen. Like, oh, one of the boys taking the jet for a spin.

She couldn't stop the worry that was coursing through her body. She didn't want Logan in danger. She knew that he had been in worse situations than this – like when Magneto was on the other side. Now that was dangerous. Logan may be indestructible but not to Magneto. He could bend him anyway he liked and she didn't trust him one little bit.

She couldn't help the smile that flitted across her lips as she thought about what she had done earlier. The look on Magneto's face had been truly priceless. In fact it was a shame that she didn't have a camera and she wondered if the jet had video cameras on it. Her eyes flickered across the walls and ceiling and her heart sunk – no cameras.

She felt so tired all of a sudden. Well it wasn't very sudden it had been creeping up on her for the past few hours and now that Logan had left she just wanted to collapse.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against her seat the droning if Bobby and John's voices drifting to her.

So this button does this.

This lever does that.

This one must do this.

Was a little bit of peace too much to ask for? She didn't ask for a lot in life. The three in her head had miraculously become quiet but now the boys wouldn't shut up.

Her mind began to wonder, thinking if all the things that could possibly be happening to Logan and she nearly had a panic attack on the spot. What if Magneto turned against them, what if Jean tried something, what if –

She stopped herself. Logan was smart. He would be fine, he would be... she decided to concentrate on Bobby and John's conversation, blocking everything else from her foggy, tired head...why did she feel so tired. This wasn't like her at all. Normally she was full of energy thanks to Logan but now...

She stood up shakily and stumbled towards the boys who were still studying the controls with more attention than she had seen in any of their classes.

She went to stand beside them and pointed one gloved hand at one of the controls.

"So what does this one do?"

* * *

Logan strode behind the others. He didn't trust any of them to be behind him.

Mystique had succeeded and got into the control room in the underground base and had opened the spill way doors allowing Storm to fry the systems and them to walk in. For people who were paranoid to have an underground base the security wasn't too great.

He kept a close eye on Magneto as he waved his hand to open some doors and an even closer eye on Jean – there was something no right about her at the minute but he didn't know what.

Logan found himself thinking again that the X-men really weren't as clued up as they acted. How could the professor allow this to happen? Everybody was in danger - every single one of the, and all because of that damn machine. Marie was in danger because of that machine.

They walked through the metal corridors and he was amazed at the lack of resistance.

His hearing picked up on movement in the corridor ahead and his claws shot out – ready for anything that might come at him. Two men in uniform were at a metal door trying to pry it open with some crow bars and from the smell he knew that Mystique was behind it.

With only enough time to le shout a slight cry of shock the men's feet were torn from beneath them and they were floating in the air. Jean. He saw the look of shock on Storm's face at what her ex-friend was doing and Logan himself felt a bit of shock. He remembered the mount of concentration it had taken for her to close the door when he had first arrived at the mansion, yet it hardly seemed to bother her right now. Something was definitely up and he wanted to know what.

He watched with slight discomfort as Magneto yanked the metal door from its place the sheer force he was using enough to put slight pressure on Logan's bones.

As the door came away he watch Jean send the men flying against the wall of the corridor hard enough for them to pass out.

They all walked into the room and Logan looked at the different screens - each of them holding a different picture from a different security camera. His chest clenched when he saw the one showing the children who had been taken from the mansion - only about half a dozen which meant that most of them must have got away. Marie could have so easily have been one of them. He saw a white flash fill the screen momentarily and the anger rose. They were treating them like animals - keeping them in a cage with electric walls. People feared them for being mutants and named them as dangerous and yet these people were the true animals and monsters – theses who would lock children up in cages and conduct unspeakable experiment on them all because they were born different.

He heard Storm asking the teleporter if he would go with her to get the children out but everything going in about him faded into the background when he scanned the other screens. Most held only empty corridors and storage areas but one caught his eyes. Two figures turned a corner.

Stryker.

This was the man who had taken the children. Who had attacked a school, who knew him.

He glanced over at the talking group. They had found cerebro. Well he was no good in that department. He looked back at the screen and took the earpiece from behind his ear and out it on the desk. He was going to find the man responsible for everything.

Not giving the group another look he went from the room and using hid senses and calling up the scent of the man from a few nights before he started down the labyrinth of corridors. He could smell him, the scent getting stronger. And another scent. A women.

He turned a corner and went down some steps and stopped.

This room. He knew this room. He glanced to either side of him warily his sense in alert as a haunted feeling settled upon him.

The room was dark and the lighting faint. Pipes ran along the fall and a huge pipe ran across the room. Bricked supports were dotted about and some ladder too. He walked further in.

Straight in front of him was a tank - a tank with green lighting highlighting it. Behind this was a lit wall of x-rays that looked almost identical to the kind that had been taken of him at the mansion. They showed the metal plating around the bones and skull.

He closed his eyes as images and memories flashed through his head. Being held under water and being unable to breath - the very same kind of images that filled his nightmares and had filled his Marie's sleep also.

He opened his eyes and walked nearer to the tank taking in the tubes and pipes that led into it. He followed the connections to a bubbling mixture. The burning scent telling him that it was metal.

He touched one of the syringes attached to a tube and another memory surfaced - a memory of it being pushed into him.

He walked around the tank eyes wide. He glanced down so see scores along the side. Three of them.

Another memory flashed through his head. He was slamming his claws into someone in uniform. He was standing up in the tank.

The next thing he remembered he was running down a corridor.

The next he was screaming as he looked at his blood soaked hands and metal claws. Was the blood his or someone else's?

And then he was pushing open a door and running out of it...

He took his hands from the three marks. He had never remembered anything like that before.

"The tricky thing about adamantium is –"

He knew that voice.

He turned to the stairs and saw the man responsible for everything that had happened strolling down them followed closely by a woman. This man who he now knew was connected to his present state.

"-that if you ever mange to process it's raw liquid form, you have to keep it that way,"

Adamantium. He turned back to the bubbling metal. So that was what lined his bones.

"I used to think

"I used to think you were one of a kind Wolverine. I was wrong,"

Stryker was baking out if the room a smug look on his face as he glanced between the women and Logan.

Anger rushed through him. This man was going to pay. He was going to pay for what he had done to him and for what he would have done to the children and Marie if he was given half a chance.

He began to run, paying the woman to mind until her fist made contact with his face and sent him flying to the floor.

He soon learned that Stryker had been right. He wasn't one if a kind as the woman fought him with amazing ease. She ducked and dodged and healed rapidly while she inflicted her own damage in him. Something about the fight reminded him of the fight with Mystique at the Statue Of Liberty.

He growled in pain as the woman's claws come nails or whatever they were made contact with his body again ad tore through flesh and muscle.

She sent him flying through the air and he got to his feet ready for the next assault. And so it continued until he was flying though the air and he landed in his back. But he wasn't in the floor.

He felt the woman's hands closed about his throat as her blades stabbed into his back, again and again.

He looked to the side and sae some chains. He reached over painfully and with one swipe severed the chain and was rewarded by the dropping sensation that filled his stomach as a splash as the woman fell into the tank.

He rolled over coughing heavily and wheezing in pain.

_After this I am definitely telli-_

Before he could finish the thought he heard the swish od water and a cry as the claws once again tore into him, hitting his side.

He cried in pain as she slammed them deeper into his side and he crawled painfully for the pipes and syringes the instinct to live running deep through him.

He grabbed the syringe and just as she withdrew the claws to slam them in again he turned and forced the syringe into her and pushed the lever.

Her heard her grunt in shock and saw the surprise on her face as the metal poured into her.

He saw her eye colour change seconds before the metal came pouring slowly form her eyes, nose and the corner of her mouth. He closed his eyes as she fell backwards and landed with a metallic thud at the bottom of the tank.

He breathed heavily and dropped the syringe. He could feel the holes in his sides healing and the damage done to his organs being repaired.

_After this I am definitely telling Marie I love her. _

**Hi guys.**

**Pretty much repeating the film in this chapter. **

**Please let me know what you think.**

**Stay safe.**

**:) **


	12. Something's Wrong

**I own nothing. Very sad but I am getting over it :).**

**Chapter 12 – Something's Wrong**

Marie knew that something was wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on it. It hovered at the back of her mind, making her uncomfortable and fidgety but what was it?

She looked at Bobby who was pacing the jet and threw another look over her shoulder at the controls to the plane.

John had stalked from the plane almost ten minutes ago and she knew that a part of Bobby's good guy character was more than a little annoyed at being told that he always did what he was told.

The feeling grew stronger. Something was definitely wrong. Very wrong.

She was just about to mention her thought about moving the plane to Bobby when pain suddenly coursed through her head.

She screamed in shock and fell from her seat while the personalities in her head all groaned with the pain also. She stopped screaming and tried to concentrate just on breathing. It was so hard. Why was breathing so hard.

_Logan!!_

She scrunched into a ball and was just about to wrap her arms around herself when she her hand was gripped firmly in a strong hand.

Marie struggled with her body, trying to force her eyes to open against the urge to keep them closed against the pain.

_Bobby._

She opened her eyes long enough to see Bobby slump to the floor and mimic her position, his hand firmly holding hers.

They hadn't made it to the machine in time.

_We're going to die. _

* * *

Logan gripped his head as he fell to his knees - the pain nothing like anything he had experienced before.

They hadn't got to cerebro. The professor was killing them all.

Through the pain he remembered a comment the professor had made only a few days ago when he had been trying to find Nightcrawler after the assassination attempt on the president. The professor had been unable to get a lock on him.

"Can't you just concentrate harder?"

"If I wanted to kill him, yes,"

And that was what he was doing now. But instead of only one, or a select few, he was going to kill all of them.

He cried out and fell onto his side.

_Marie!_

* * *

It stopped.

They had both been writhing about the floor, still grasping each other's hand and then it had stopped.

They had made it to the machine and stopped cerebro.

Marie cautiously sat up, expecting another wave of pain to strike any minute and when it didn't come she turned to Bobby who was also sitting up slowly.

"Bobby, you OK?" she asked quietly, her ears still ringing slightly.

He nodded his head.

"You?"

"I'm fine,"

_Are you all OK? _She asked her mental passengers.

"_Yeah darlin' I'm fine,"_

"_I am fine Marie," _

"_We are all alright child,"_

She stood up carefully and headed towards the controls. She sat down and reached for the button she had seen Storm press that morning.

"What are you doing?"

Bobby came up behind her, his voice confused.

"Moving the plane,"

* * *

Logan stood up feeling more than grateful to whoever had stopped the machine and growled savagely.

He raised his head and sniffed, finding the scent he was looking for.

Stryker.

As long as that man was alive, none of them were safe...Marie wasn't safe.

He darted from the lab...the lab where he had became Wolverine and followed the scent that burned at his nose.

He ran quickly along the damp, dark corridors until he reached a door. He pushed it open, another memory resurfacing and found himself stepping out into the snow covered ground.

He ran towards the scent to see Stryker bending over, unfastening the chains from a helicopter.

Logan could smell the fear and desperation.

Stryker ran around the helicopter and straight into Logan's waiting fist.

He grabbed him as he fell and forced him against the helicopter.

Logan's claws came shooting out and he embedded them easily through his enemies arm holding him in place.

Stryker screamed in pain and the Wolverine found great satisfaction in this.

"How does it feel bub?" he growled out, looking into the face of the man who would have been responsible for so many deaths.

"Why did you come back?" Stryker gasped out through the pain.

"Too cut you open," he snarled, but not for the reason that he knew the other man was thinking.

"You would have murdered us all –"

_Murdered Marie...my Marie._

He pushed his claws in further.

"-you took my life," he added, knowing now that this was the man responsible for his memory.

"You act as if I stole something from you. You volunteered for the procedure," Stryker told him.

_No. I wouldn't have. Not if I had known that it would steal my memories. _

"Who am I?" he whispered hoarsely.

He had to know. He needed to know for Marie.

"You are nothing...but a failed experiment," the man panted.

"Hmm!" he growled, bring his claws out another inch.

"If you really knew about your past – what kind of person you were, the work we did together..." he smiled madly at him.

"People don't change, Wolverine. You were an animal then. You're an animal now. I just gave you claws," he told him triumphantly.

No he was wrong. He could change. He had changed. Since the moment he had met Marie he had changed. He had became a better person...she had made him a better person.

An alarm blared in the distance and Logan took his eyes from the pinned man and looked towards the noise.

"What the hell is that?"

Silence.

Logan lost his temper and forced the man a few more inches of the ground, his claws slicing skin.

"What is it?"

"The dam's ruptured," Stryker gasped, turning his head toward the dam.

"It's going to flood water onto the spillway. In a few minute's we'll all be underwater,"

_Marie._

* * *

Marie gripped the control tightly – she was sure that her knuckles were going white under her gloves.

She had no idea what she was doing. Whey had she thought this was going to be a good idea. She was crazy. All the voices in her head had finally made her insane.

What had she been thinking to try and fly the jet?

Even when she had told Bobby what she was doing she still hadn't been sure she would do it but as soon as she had heard the alarms from the dam that had made up her mind.

Getting the jet to go up had been fine, it was the landing part.

She brushed against the top of some trees and squealed when alarms started to go of within the plane telling her that she was about to crash – like she needed as alarm to tell her that.

Everything went quickly as the plane spun in a circle before landing with a thump and sliding along the snow.

She breathed in panic as the plane came to a stop and fought to loosen her hands from the controls. Her whole body was shaking.

She looked up from her hands and out the window.

_Logan. _

As quickly as that she slammed her hand down onto the button to lower the ramp and ran from the jet – swiftly passing a rather shocked looking Bobby.

She bolted across the snow and up the slight hill and straight into Logan's arms.

There were holes in his uniform - he had been hurt.

Her gloved hand glided along his arms and chest, feeling for damage that she knew wouldn't be there, but needing to prove to herself that he was OK.

His own gloved hands came up to her face and brushed along the bottoms of her eyes like he had done so many times before.

"I think I need some flying lessons," she told him looking back at the jet.

He nodded his head.

* * *

Logan nodded his head at her comment. He was so proud of her. But he had to make sure that the others could get out. He had only found the other exit because of Stryker the others would go the way they had came in...through the spillway.

"I have to go back in, I'll be right back,"

He quickly held her to him in a brief.

"Love you baby," he whispered into her ear before turning and sprinting towards the hidden entrance.

He hadn't been able to hold it in anymore. He had told her. Not exactly the most romantic of scenarios but considering that their first kiss had been in front of a cafeteria full of students it sort of kept the tradition going.

He raced blindy back along the corridors, following his own scent and then catching Storm's scent he ran towards it.

He saw then heading towards the spillway and slammed his claws into the box that controlled the huge doors.

They slid shut, while sparks flew from the wall.

"You don't want to go that way,"

He quickly took them in. They had found the professor who was being supported between Storm and Nightcrawler and Scott was also there and they had found the children. But there was no Mystique, Magneto or Jean.

He led them back through the corridors easily and out through the metal storm door.

He ran towards the plane and saw that the helicopter was no longer there. He took a deep breath and picked up the scent of the three missing mutants. He had no doubt that they had taken the jet. Jean had well and truly aligned herself with the enemy.

But where was Stryker. In his anger he had chained him to the wheels before the jet had cameo over the trees. He picked up one of the children who slid on the snow and swung him easily into his arms.

That was when he caught the scent.

A few metres from where he was standing, sheltered by same trees and chained to a cement wall with the same chains that had kept him fixed to the Helicopter was Stryker.

He walked towards him - disgust written plain across his face as he looked at the man who would have killed millions.

"Who has the answers, Wolverine?" he asked.

"Those people? That creature in your arms?"

Logan looked down at the boy he was carrying and back up.

"Huh?"

Marie. All he needed was Marie. He needed nothing from this man in front of him.

He stared at Stryker his eyes hard.

"I'll take my chances with him," he told him.

Logan turned and walked away from the chained man heading towards the plane. Not even thinking to free him as he began to cry angrily behind him.

"One day someone will finish what I started, Wolverine. One day!"

No. If it was up to him no one would have the chance to pick up where he had left off.

He sprinted the last few metres to the jet and up the ramp. The scent of Marie's anxiety hit him as soon as he entered the plane.

He passed the boy to Bobby and went straight to her.

He looked down at her, stroking her arms.

"Are you OK?"

He could see that she had been worried about him and his heart leapt in his chest when her small hand slid down his arm and she threaded her fingers with his own. He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her head, squeezing her hand.

"I am now," he told her.

As long as he had her he would be fine forever.

She smiled, squeezing his hand in return and releasing it as he went to help Scott and Storm.

"The thrusters are off line," Scott mumbled.

**Hi guys. So what do you think?**

**I have the next chapter written up to but I am going to hold it hostage. Sorry - but I really think it is worth it – or not and you can all hate me forever. **

**So...as soon as I get ooo I don't know let's say between 10-15 reviews you will get the next chapter. I am sorry I know I am evil. But I do mean as soon as I get them. And this will be the only chapter I ever hold hostage for this story. I promise. **

**Keep safe.**

**:) **


	13. I Love You

**I own nothing.**

**Hi everyone. Thank you for the reviews. It is 3.45 in the morning here, but I promised so here it is. The Hostage is free :)**

**Chapter 12 – I love you**

They had done it. They had got the children back and the professor and Scott. All the children were safe and fastened in ready for the jet to take of – but it wasn't.

She had been so happy, when Logan had rushed onto the jet with one of the boys in his arms and when he had kissed her she thought she had reached heaven. He loved her. He had told her that he loved her. Her mind had all but gone into melt down when he had whispered the words.

But something was wrong.

Marie watched as Storm tried to stay calm as she attempted to start the jet - but nothing was happening – and Scott too was beginning to panic (though they were both trying to hide it from the younger children). But they couldn't hide it from her – they couldn't hide anything from her any more.

And then she felt it. Something in her knew.

Marie froze.

No!

The dame was breaking.

Logan, Erik and Phoenix had all been very quiet in her head – in fact, if it hadn't been for the slight buzzing she would have thought they weren't there- but now their mutations were flaring to life within her.

Bobby's mutation could feel the surge of water as it pressed against the crack in the wall, Erik could feel the metal brackets straining, Logan could feel the slight tremor in the ground, John the approach of an enemy – water - and Phoenix...Phoenix could feel everything, see everything, know everything.

And now the jet wasn't going to start. And it was her fault. She had crashed it. It was her fault. They were all going to die because of her.

She looked around at the people that had became her family over the past year and a half. They were more like family to her than he own flesh and blood and she loved them as such.

Bobby – the overprotective big brother.

Xavier – the caring grandfather.

Scott – the worrying father.

Storm – the caring and compassionate aunt.

Logan -...the love of her life.

Magneto and Jean had had the power to stop this from happening and yet they didn't, but she...she could stop this.

With one last look at Logan she ran down the ramp, a plan quickly forming in her head. She could do this. She could stop them from dying. This was her fault but she could stop it.

"_No Marie, don't do this. Go back to the plane," _Logan screamed at her, thrashing about her mind, trying to control her movements.

"_Go back! The plane will start," _Erik yelled also as her foot left the ramp and hit the snow with a dull thud.

She ran a bit from the plane and looked back. She could feel the dame weakening and the last of the resistance left in the material give way. She felt the water rushing towards them...ready to swallow them all.

"When you said anything...did you mean anything?" she asked softly ,a tear slowly falling down her cheek at what she was about to do.

She could feel Phoenix nod sadly.

"_Yes child and if this is your decision child then I shall do anything I can,"_ Phoenix's voice washed through her mind.

"Thank you," Marie gasped, another tear running down her face.

Marie threw open her mind. She could feel, hear and see everything.

She heard them inside the jet. She heard the water. She saw it all...felt them all...

"Where's Rogue?" she heard Scott ask.

She could feel Logan's panic and guilt as his heart beat increased when he realized that she wasn't in the plane.

She felt the professor reach out.

"She's outside the plane," his voice broke and Marie nearly crumbled at the pain that came from him.

He knew what she was going to do.

She heard Logan's enraged growl and the thumping of his boots as he ran towards the hatch.

She turned and with a wave of her hand she slammed the hatch shut just as he appeared.

"Marie. No!" he shouted.

She reached out towards the plane and put everything that she had gained over the past couple of days into starting the jet. She felt the needed wires fuse together and the engine start. She saw the needed lights come to life and began to lift the plane into the air the engine slowly coming to life.

"No! Storm lower it," she heard Logan growl in anger and despair as he threw himself around the inside of the plane trying to break out.

_Oh Logan I love you so much, _she sobbed in her head.

She pushed out some more power, surrounding the jet with an invisible skin when she heard the claws and saw him stalk towards a wall. His claws slid of it harmlessly.

He screamed in rage.

Then she heard it. The breaking of trees, the rush of air and she threw out her other hand as the water swept towards her and the plane.

Pain erupted through her mind and body as she put everything she could into stopping the water and making the plane rise. Pins and needled like nothing she had felt before filled her.

She could still hear Logan, see Logan and feel his pain like it were her own, feel his love for her.

His love.

She reached out for him.

* * *

Logan was distraught.

He could not get out the jet and everything in him was breaking when he knew what Marie was doing. But how could she be doing what she was? She didn't possess that kind of power.

"Storm," he spat when the jet began to rise, he could feel the shift under his feet as it continued to get higher.

"We're not leaving!"

"It's not me," the weather witch screamed at him as she tried to take the controls...nothing was happening, the jet was still rising.

"_Logan,"_

_Marie._

He turned about and to everyone else he was staring unseeing before him but he was not.

He was seeing Marie.

"Marie?" he nearly sobbed.

"What are you doing darlin'?" he asked her brokenly, reaching out his arms for her.

She moved towards him, a gentle smile on her face. That was when he noticed the glow about her body - the un-earthly shine to her skin and hair, the flame burning deep in her eyes.

She reached out a hand to him and her fingers stroked his jaw gently. He shook his head almost violently in denial over what she was doing outside.

Her hands were bare.

How was that possible?

He didn't question anything though. Not now.

"My Wolverine," she smiled gently, pushing up his chin.

"Don't do this Marie," he begged, reaching out and holding her ghostly form to him. He knew that this was not Marie and that the real Marie was still outside, but he wanted to hold her to him in any way he could...even if it was just in his mind. She felt so real. So warm...

She looked deep into his eyes as she shook her head at his statement. Leaning forward she pressed her soft face to the side of his own, her lips resting by his ear.

"Logan, you are the best man I have ever known," she whispered into his ear.

_Only because of you baby. You made me what I am._

"Thank you for holding me when no one else had the courage and for protecting me when no one else would," she drew away and he could feel the tears sting at his eyes as he struggled to breathe.

She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"But now it is my turn," her voice was thick with determination and he tightened his grip on her.

"No Marie...please," he knew that his begging was useless and that the decision had already been made. That she was already outside the plane.

"I love you too Logan," her voice was soft and he felt her fade, saw the light that was emanating from her begin to dull.

"No Marie. I love you," he sobbed as she faded from his arms.

* * *

Tear streamed down Marie's face, but she continued to stop the water and waited for the jet to reach a safe height over the wave. The engines were working and Storm would be able to fly them to safety.

She had reached for Logan and it had worked. She had finally told him.

A soft smile came to her lips as she knew that the ones she loved...the ONE she loved would be safe.

She heard the roar of the engines above her head over the thunder of the water. She heard the despair of her family and the utter heartbreak that filled the jet.

She let out a sob and with her last bit of energy pushed all her thoughts about Jean and Phoenix at the professor.

_Thank you, _she breathed gently to Phoenix.

She loosened her grip on the water and it came thundering over her. She closed her eyes as burning filled her, tearing through her like the pain had a moment ago and then nothing.

"_You will rise again child...."_

_***sniff sniff* **_**I was nearly crying just writing this. Anyway please don't hurt me we all know that this is not the end of Rogue and Wolverine. Would I do that to you?**

**Thought, opinions and feelings would be greatly appreciated for this chapter. (I'm not sure if I am good or not at writing really sad stuff or not.)**

**Keep safe.**

**:)**


	14. I'm Lost

**I still own nothing**

**Chapter 14 – I'm Lost**

_Logan thrashed about the plane - thrusting his claws at the walls of the jet with all of the strength that he had. _

_Why wasn't it working? His claws could break through anything. Why wasn't it doing anything?_

_He needed to get out. He had to get out. He had to get to Marie. She was in danger. He had to get her back inside the plane. Even if they didn't get back to the plane in time maybe...maybe if he wrapped himself around her that would be enough protection. She would be ok. He needed to get out. _

_Helplessness filled him as his claws only slid uselessly of the metal body of the jet once again._

_No! This wasn't how it was supposed to end._

_He stood still, suddenly every bone in his body freezing as he heard it. _

_The crash of water below him...the thunderous rumble as it hit the ground. _

_No._

_In his mind's eye he saw the water close over her head, he felt her fear..._

_No. No. No. _

_This hadn't happened. Not his Marie. Not his Marie. Not like this. Not her. _

"_She's gone," someone whispered hoarsely._

_No._

_He spun around violently. His claws ready to attack. _

"_Don't say that," he snarled savagely._

_Don't you ever say that._

Logan gasped at the pain that was still as fresh as it had been that first day as he woke from his nightmare.

It had been three months. Three months since it had happened, since Marie had been taken from him, since they had appeared before the president, since a stone with Marie's name had been placed in the grounds...

His nights were no longer filled with the images of needles, flashing lights and champagne but water and screaming...and Marie. His Marie.

He opened his eyes slowly and buried his face in the pillow under his head. He breathed deeply and a tear escaped his eye.

Her. This was her scent, that clean, warm, loving, special scent that was all Marie.

That first night, once they had returned to the mansion he had been inconsolable and had even taken a swipe at Storm when she tried to place a hand on his shoulder.

Pain had been cutting through him viciously. Pain and grief that she had been taken from him, that he had wasted so much time before telling her of his feelings... He had followed his senses blindly and had found himself in the bedroom. The room that had been theirs - the room that had been hers when he had been gone.

The entire room and been filled with her scent. Her clothes, the furniture, the bedding, everything had been permeated with her...with Marie. And he had done the only thing his animal mind could do to cope with the grief that had consumed him. He had buried himself in her scent and collapsed on her bed howling in grief into the mattress.

Everything had been laid out just as she had left it. Her clothes were neatly folded, her homework was out on her desk...her bed was a mess from when she must have leapt from it when the solders had came but everything else had Marie's tell tale neatness about it.

He sighed and closed his eyes. The mansion was silent and it was still dark outside.

Before Marie he would normally get up once he woke from a nightmare but not now. He wouldn't get up...he would stay with her for as long as he could. He would stay cocooned by her scent for as long as he could.

"_Logan I'm lost..."_

His eyes shot open darted to every corner of the room.

"Marie..." his voice broke and he swallowed violently.

"_Logan I can't find you...I'm lost...where am I," _The soft panicked voice drifted through his head again and echoed around the empty room.

"Marie..."

Logan jumped from the bed and spun about violently.

She was here. She was with him.

"_Help Logan...I'm lost..." _her voice drifted and faced away again.

"Marie," he cried, not wanting her voice to leave him.

"_Logan, I'm lost..."_

The last ghostly words left him alone and empty in the centre of the bedroom.

He wasted no time. He needed to be outside. He needed to be where it happened.

He flung in his jacket and felt for the bike keys that were still in his pocket and left the room.

He stalked to the door and silently left the mansion.

"I'm coming darlin',"

* * *

Scott shook his head wearily and ran a hand across his face, carefully avoiding his glasses.

She was gone. She had sacrificed herself for them all.

The girl that he had grown close to and loved like his own flesh and blood was gone.

He glanced outside of his window and saw the blackness beginning to fade, giving way to a dark inky blue as the sun came up slowly.

"_Scott...I don't know where I am..."_

Scott's head jerked in shock.

"Rogue," he choked.

"_I can't find my way...help Scott...I'm lost..."_

Scott began to throw on his clothes roughly, his breath coming unsteadily and grabbed the keys for his bike.

**Dun, dun, dun. **

**I know very, very short but I will update as soon as I can and hopefully it will be longer. I was thinking of whether or not to just move onto X-Men 3 but I decided not to - so I have some evil plans mwahaha. Hehe. **

**Thank you everyone for the reviews for the last chapter. They were so encouraging. **

**Please let me know what you think of this. **

**Keep safe. **

**:)**


	15. Beautiful Madness

**I still own nothing. Very, very sad :(**

**Chapter 15 – Beautiful Madness**

Logan walked from the bike and over to the lapping shore of the water. Silence surrounded him.

He wasn't stupid – he knew what that amount of water coming down on a person's body could do. But...but if he just closed his eyes he could see her. He could see her, feel her, smell her...He could see the glint in her eyes and the gentle smile that always lit up her face when he was around – the smile that seemed only for him that he knew was only for him. He could even taste her scent in his mouth. It was as though she had never left him - as though she was still there with him.

"_Logan...help me...I can't find you...lost...help,"_

She was haunting him - her soft voice begging him for help. But he would gladly be haunted by her for the rest of his days - anything to have some part of her with him, near him always.

Never before had he wished for death so strongly. Never before had be wished so much for the oblivion that would bring an end to a life without her.

"_Logan...lost..."_

_Baby I miss you so much. I'm sorry I couldn't save you...that I didn't keep my promise._

"Logan,"

Logan spun around rapidly, pivoting on his foot, and his deadly claws sprang from his arms as he turned to face his potential enemy.

He relaxed slightly as both scent and image registered with his dulled senses and he drew the blades back into his arm with a flex of his muscles.

"Summers," he growled.

What was he doing here? He must have set off after he had to make it to the lake just after he had and not to mention have also broken more than a few speeding laws.

"What are you doin' here?" he growled, staring at the other man as he walked nearer.

Logan saw that the past few months had taken their toll on Scott as well as himself. He no longer had the boyish look that Logan had so often mocked him for. He had a few days growth of stubble covering his face and he was walking like a man three times his age.

Logan's sensitive hearing had picked up more than one hushed and worried conversation between the professor and Storm over both of them.

Logan had not got to learn from Marie about the growing relationship between Scott and herself but from the conversations he overheard he learned that they had indeed grown close and he could not help but feel a stab of jealousy over it – even though he knew there was nothing romantic about it.

Scott had been there when he had been not and the knowledge ate away at him.

Scott shook his head at his question and Logan could smell the genuine grief coming from the younger man in waves.

"I don't really know," he answered sadly.

There was a long pause and Logan turned back to the water and looked out over the still, glassy surface.

"_Logan...I can't find you...lost," _Marie's ghostly voice drifted to him across the lake before fading to nothing – like it had never been.

Logan heard Scott's approach as he moved to stand beside him. He still could not bring himself to like the other man but knowing that Marie had been close to him did help Logan to at least tolerate him.

"I keep hearing her..."

_What?_

"What?"

Logan turned to look at Scott in shock. He had thought that he was going mad, his loss making him hear her voice...But he had welcomed the madness.

"Rogue...I can hear her sometimes," Scott explained sadly.

They could both hear her...

No one fully understood what had happened that day. The professor had explained something about Jean and something called Phoenix...That at some point Marie had touched Jean, allowing her to do what she did...allowing her to hold back the water. But the professor did not know how far Jean's powers could go, how strong she was.

Could that mean that Marie was still alive somehow? Still there?

"But she's gone. She is gone. I can't be hearing her," Scott's words shattered Logan's dwindling grip on his control.

"Don't say that," he snarled hoarsely his fists clenching as he continued to look out over the water.

"She's gone Logan. She would have came back if she could..." Scott continued.

"Don't you ever say that,"

Logan turned to face the other man, memories of the words coming back to him from the plane trip back to the mansion.

Scott continued, heedless of the fact that Logan was very near to planting six blades into his chest.

The small part of Logan's mind that was still thinking logically knew that he was acting irrationally with his grief. But he didn't care. Marie wasn't gone. Not if he could hear her...not if they both could hear her.

"She is gone Logan...dead,"

That final, cold and concrete word cause Logan to snap and not even thoughts of Marie could not keep him from throwing himself at the man in front of him.

* * *

Scott didn't know what he was saying...what he was doing. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

She was dead. They all knew that she was dead. Dead by hundreds of tons of water collapsing on top of her...yet hearing her voice, her calls for help, was driving him insane.

She was gone; it was only his own mind summoning her voice. He had thought to unburden himself of his grief alone, at the place that it had happened, but Logan's presence had put pains to that plan.

It was almost as though he was trying to talk himself out of hearing her.

He knew as soon as he said the word...the word that even he had never said until that day, that he had gone too far – when Logan threw his heavy, metal lined body at him.

Scott only had a split second to brace himself for the impact before his body was jolted backwards.

The fight went on as many fights did. Punching, kicking, lunging and Scott knew no real panic until he was on his back and saw Logan fist descending towards his face – or more importantly, his visor.

He had no doubt that Logan would survive a hit, even a direct one, but the constant burning behind his eyes made them vulnerable anyway and after a messed up simulation a few years ago in the danger room he knew that taking a direct hit to his eyes was excruciating.

He did the only thing that he could and turned his face towards the lake. He felt Logan's fist hit the side of his visor and heard the slight metallic clang in his ears from his metal lined bones.

He was not prepared for what happened next though.

He heard a crack from near his ear seconds before his visor fell from his face, one of the clasps broken. His laser shot straight towards the lake. The water reared up and bubbled with the force and the heat of his eyes.

* * *

Logan leapt quickly away from Scott as a beam of heat shot from his eyes and straight towards the lake.

He watched as within only a few seconds a large volume of water evaporated and he could even smell the extra dampness in the air. Anger surfaced in him stronger than before. The ice boy could have frozen it and he could have just made it vanish and yet Marie had been the one to take action.

Scott slammed his eyes shut and Logan watched as he fixed his broken glasses to his face as best as he could. Logan could not bring himself to regret one punch and moved to turn and stalk towards his bike when suddenly a bright, white light filled his vision causing him to flinch and shield his eyes.

The light was coming from the lake and seemed to be moving closer getting brighter with each second.

As suddenly as it appeared the light gradually and without warning faded away.

After a second Logan lowered his hand from his eyes and his heart nearly shattered.

This was a sick joke.

But...but it was her body. Her shape, her smile, her face, her hair...

He walked forward slowly – Scott who was still on the ground completely forgotten – he extended a hand slowly and carefully, afraid to shatter the beautiful illusion that stood before him.

He reached out, his hand shaking as he ran one platinum streak between his fingers and inhaled. She felt and even smelt like Marie.

"Logan..." the whisper came out frightened broken.

It even sounded like her.

"Marie...how?" he asked.

His mind had taken some new kind of sick turn but he welcomed it with open arms.

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice sounding lost and young.

Logan moved to take her in his arms, his heart swelling with pain and joy when suddenly her eyes dimmed and rolled back in her head.

Logan caught her easily as she sagged against him and he fell to the ground in shock cradling an unconscious Marie tightly in his arms as tears fell unheeded down his face.

How was this possible?

He turned to Scott who was still sitting on the floor a few meters from him, shock written plain across his face.

His previous anger at the man forgotten for the time being Logan looked back at Marie's still face.

"Call the professor," he growled.

**Hey guys.**

**I hope that you like this chapter. I didn't want to drag out the whole 'waiting for Marie' thing, so here ya go. I think it is a little weak but I really needed a way for Scott to fire into the lake and thought yay lets have a wee fight shall we.**

**Anyway I hope that I haven't disappointed in any way with this chapter.**

**Please let me know what you think.**

**Keep safe.**

**:)**


	16. I've Got You Baby

**I still own nothing – big surprise there :(**

**Chapter 16 – I've Got You Baby**

Logan had sat huddled around the silent, still form of Marie, rocking her slowly and mumbling in her ear while waiting for the jet to arrive.

Scott had stumbled to his feet upon hearing Logan's growled order and had ran to his bike and began yelling into the com device. His keen hearing heard Scott's jumbled and rushed explanation of what had just happened and Storm's promise to be there as soon as she could.

"Shh darlin', you'll be home soon. You're not lost anymore," Logan whispered softly into her hair. He didn't know if she could hear him or not but he continued until he felt a slight breeze in the air and the jet landed.

Storm had ran from the plane and Logan had been able to smell the salt from the weather witches tears and heard her shocked gasp seconds before she bolted towards them.

All of this had happened nearly two hours ago and now Marie was laid out on one of the tables in the medical lab with the professor pouring over her head.

Logan was the only other person in the room. Originally the professor had requested that everybody leave the room but as soon as Logan had left his hearing had picked up on the alarmed beeps that the medical machines were giving of and had immediately returned to have the machines settle down again. He had exchanged a look with the professor stayed – not one word being said on the matter.

Logan tried to remain patient and concentrated on the gentle movement of Marie's chest as she breathed – the only thing that was a visible sign that she was still alive.

He stroked her hand gently with his gloved one, trying to force some of the heat from his own body and into hers.

She looked so small and fragile lying under the white sheet with her dark hair spilling over the equally white pillow. She was so pale it frightened him. Before Marie had entered his life Logan had never known fear like he now experienced it. It twisted in his stomach and tore at his mind.

He could pick up on the slight noise coming from the other side of the door as Storm and Scott paced. He could smell their concern.

Finally after what seemed like days the professor lifted his head from above Marie's forehead and took his hands from where they had rested a few inched from either side of her face.

Xavier sighed and Logan could see that whatever he had been doing had taken it out of him.

"Well," he bit out as the professor took one last glance at Marie before turning his chair away.

"She is healing Logan," the professor mumbled as he wheeled towards the door and opened it allowing the two other X-Men to enter.

"Professor?" both voices where soft and filled with worry.

Logan felt a slight swell of anger bubble up. Scott had given up. He had thought that she was gone. He turned his face away from the three and back to Marie and the anger vanished. She was all that mattered right now...always.

"Rogue's mind has shut down," the professor stated firmly and Logan panicked. That did not sound good.

"But it is perfectly healthy,"

Logan let out the breath he didn't realise he had held in. She was okay.

"Why has it done that?" he asked not taking his eyes from Marie's sleeping face.

"Rogue's body – due to the absorbed power of Phoenix – has regenerated. I can only surmise that a great amount of energy was needed to do this - energy that was gleaned from Scott firing into the lake. But while her body had returned to the same stage it was at three months ago her mind is still catching up. She is in, what I can only name as a self induced coma. She will wake up when she is ready,"

Logan nodded his head slowly at this. It was alright that she was in a coma. It was okay that she was asleep. It was healthy. He mind and no doubt her body needed this. It was alright. But he felt so useless. So helpless. All he could do was wait.

One by one he heard the mumbling voices of the X-Men as they took their leave.

He was not going to go anywhere. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight ever again.

"Xavier, what about the personalities?" he mumbled. He knew that the professor was still in the room. He could hear the sound of his breathing and smell his scent.

The professor sighed deeply.

"At this stage Logan I don't know. We can only wait until she wakes up,"

Logan nodded again and heard the whirl of the wheels on the professor's chair as he headed towards the door.

"Logan..."

"Yeah I know how to get in touch," Logan finished for him.

With that the professor left the room and Logan was left alone with Marie.

Without a second thought he climbed up onto the table – ignoring the groan it made at his extra weight – and curled himself protectively around her small body. Her tucked her head under his chin and wrapped one arm around her waist and curled the other up around the top of her head where his fingers played with a few strand of her hair.

"I knew you weren't gone darlin', I knew it. I would have known if you were gone from me," he whispered hoarsely.

"I'm never going to let you out of my sight darlin' do you hear me," he continued.

He knew that he was being stupid as he continued to talk to her but the words came spilling from his mouth and he was not going to stop them.

He continued with his jumbled words and orders until he sighed heavily and tightened his grip on her waist just a little bit more.

"And when you wake up baby we are going to talk about that kiss," he whispered.

**Hi guys. Sorry it has been so long since I updated and sorry it is so short. I've been studying for an upcoming exam and my brain is mushy. Anyway, I hope you liked and as always opinions are muchly appreciated :)**

**Keep safe.**


	17. My Little Phoenix

**It is tragic. It really is. *sniff, sniff* I still own nothing *sob* ;) But hey life has to go on. **

**Chapter 17 – My Little Phoenix**

Everything was dark, but she felt like she was floating...but not floating.

She was alone in the darkness and it felt...strange. She had a feeling she wasn't supposed to be alone. There was supposed to be someone else. She had a feeling she hadn't been completely alone for a while and it was uncomfortable.

Someone was holding her down, grounding her and she felt warm and safe...safe. How long had it been since she had felt safe?

She had been lost hadn't she? She couldn't find him. Who had she been looking for? She was sure she had been looking for someone.

Images danced through the darkness that surrounded her in a thick blanket, but they were foggy and smudged and she couldn't focus...they wouldn't stay still or come close enough for her to see.

"Mornin' Marie," the words drifted to her through the layers of nothingness. Surrounded her and blanketing her.

Marie? Who was Marie? She should know that, she should know who Marie was...shouldn't she? Why couldn't she remember?

"Come on darlin', let me see those beautiful eyes of yours baby,"

She knew that voice.

A warmth filled her at the words that she couldn't quite attach meaning to in her hazy state, but they made her feel nice...they made her feel loved. That voice made her feel loved.

Who was it?

* * *

Logan rubbed his nose into Marie's hair as he slowly came round from the half asleep state he had been in most of the night. The machines were still beeping regularly and the lines continued to fluctuate on the monitors in the same way that they had since the wires had been attached to her. They told him what he already knew. She was breathing and her heart was beating.

She still smelt like Marie – the warm, soft scent calming him before he even knew he was bothered. He breathed her deep into his lungs. He was home. He nuzzled her hair covered neck and breathed steadily and deeply for a few more minutes his eyes pressed tightly shut.

"Mornin' Marie," he whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to her head, she continued as still as she had been since they had brought her back the day before.

He carefully untangled himself from his curled position around her and gently drew away from her. He rolled from the table and his boots landed loudly on the floor.

He looked down at Marie's small frame and her pale, still face. His heart clenched in his chest yet again.

He stroked his hand through her hair and let the strands fall through his gloved fingers.

She looked fine. She looked just like she had all those months ago - all those painful weeks ago. She was even in the same clothes that she had been wearing...from the white lace gloves to the healed leather boots. Nothing was different. Nothing but the time.

"Come on darlin'..." he begged her, his voice catching in his throat. He needed her to be alright. He needed her to wake up.

"...let me see those beautiful eyes of yours," he begged.

And they were beautiful. He remembered them sparkling with life when she had began to gain her confidence a year ago. She had the most expressive eyes he had ever seen...or maybe it was because he could read her so well. He knew how they looked when she was happy – the deep glint in the depths of them winking at him. Or the way they looked when she was sad and frightened from a nightmare – they would be shadowed and the colour blurred with held back tears. Or when she was shy – he smiled to himself - ...when she was really shy he could hardly see them. She would drop her lids and bite her lip as a blush would cover her flawless skin and sometimes even turn the tips of her ears pink...

He needed her to wake up. He needed to see all those expressions and the countless others.

His mind became lost in all the possibilities of what could be wrong with her. Her body was fine – the professor had said so the previous night – but it was her mind that worried him. It had, after all, been the absorption of another mutant that had led to her being able to do what she did and ultimately come back. But would the other mutants and powers have damaged her in some way. Would she still be Marie? And even if she was, what kind of an effect would dying have on her?

"Please wake up darlin'," he whispered when he heard the whirling of the professor's chair wheels seconds before the lab door opened.

Logan allowed his eyes to leave Marie and turned to see the professor wheel in followed closely by Scott.

"Good morning Logan," the professor smiled and Scott nodded his head.

"Mornin' professor," Logan mumbled turning back to Marie.

She was so still.

"No change?" Scott asked.

Logan shook his head in reply not seeing the need to speak.

The professor sighed sadly and Logan heart sunk to the floor.

"I had been hoping to see at least some kind of change," the professor spoke to himself as he wheeled himself round to the other side of the table just coming into Logan's line of vision.

The professor closed his eyes and a crease of concentration appeared between his eyes.

Logan's spirits lifted when a small smile came to the professor's lips as he opened his eyes slowly a few silent minutes later.

"The changes are happening Logan, but on a psychological level. She will be fine,"

_Thank you. Thank you . _

She was getting better. She was heading in the right direction.

"I have asked a friend of mine to come and he shall arrive in a few days," the professor told him.

Friend? All of Logan's protective instincts went on full alert at this. He didn't want any stranger viewing his Marie as some lab experiment and pouring their over developed minds over her.

A low rumble began to build in his chest and he didn't bother to stop it as it progressed to his throat.

The professor however continued, undisturbed by his display.

"He is an old student of mine, Dr Henry McCoy,"

McCoy, McCoy, McCoy...the name rang a bell.

Wait a minute.

It all fell into place within Logan's mind and new articles he had seen and read came to his mind. Not even one month ago a new president had been voted into office – one who was not as against mutants as his predecessors and along the way he had instated a new secretary.

"McCoy – secretary of Mutant Affairs, McCoy?"

The professor cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

"What? I may look it but I'm not thick," Logan smirked.

* * *

When the change in Marie's state did come about it came about rapidly a day later.

Logan had been down in the lab with her the whole time - his healing ability allowing him to go for extended periods of time without food so he had not had to leave her. He had no idea what the professor had told the students or if he had told them anything about Marie's sudden reappearance.

He had been alone with her when the machines went crazy for a few seconds and a faint tremor ran through the room – rattling all the instruments and bottles that littered the various tables. Panic had swamped him as soon as he had heard the machines scream in protest to whatever was happening and then everything went silent.

_Xavier get down here._

He leaned over Marie's body. Not knowing what to do for the best. Should he touch her? Should he leave her be? He felt useless.

"Marie...baby," he chocked.

Silence.

He breathed steadily trying to stay calm when her eyes flew open and he found himself looking into eyes of the deepest brown he had ever seen.

"Marie," he whispered softly.

She was awake.

She was alright.

Her eyes darted from him to each side of her and back again.

"Baby...?"

Her forehead creased in concentration.

"I know you, don't I?"

**Hi guys. **

**Exam was today so here is another chapter in celebration woo hoo :)**

**The title of this came from the song My Little Phoenix sung by Tarja Turunen a fantastic song and a fantastic singer. **

**Sorry. I know that it is another short chapter but what I am writing fits better into a few small chapters than in one large chapter – I think it will flow a bit better if you get what I mean. **

**So I hope you like. Please don't forget to let me know what you think :)**

**Keep safe and enjoy the rest of your week. **

**:)**


	18. Logan?

**Still own nothing *sniff* :(**

**Chapter 18 – Logan?**

Marie could almost feel her mind fusing together as she studied the man leaning over her.

He had a rugged appearance about him; he looked like he had not slept in days (for some reason that bothered her) and he smelt of the outdoors.

She knew him. She was sure that she did. He was running a hand through her hair – it felt...nice – and she was sure that he didn't even realise that he was doing it...it made her feel cared for.

Memories began to join together in her head – all of them involving this man. He looked dangerous and yet she had a feeling deep inside of her that he would never harm her.

Then a particular memory surfaced.

She was in a car – no, a truck and she was in the passenger seat and this man was driving. He was smiling a little at something. Had she made him smile? She hoped she had. She had a feeling that he didn't smile all that much.

She could smell the cold that surrounded her and feel the slight numbness in her nose...it all felt so real.

"_The name's Logan," he rumbled at her. _

Logan?

A wealth of pictures and scenes and feelings filled her confused mind. He was in all of them, in ever picture, every memory, and in every single one of them – even when she felt sad and terrified – there was an overwhelming sense of safety.

"Logan?" she whispered the name slowly, not sure if she was right and a glint came to his eyes.

She had put that there. She had made that spark come to his eyes and for some reason she felt like she was ten feet tall.

He nodded his head slowly as his fingers unthreaded from her hair and came to cup her face gently in a giant hand. He ran his thumb underneath her eye so gently she almost felt tears prick at her eyes.

WAIT!

She drew back quickly from his hand. She suddenly had a feeling of dread fill her mind and body. He shouldn't be touching her. Touching her was bad. Why was it bad? She was sure there was something wrong with it...something dangerous. What was it?

She looked at his face and felt instant guilt at what she saw. He looked hurt by her sudden action. She tried to think. The information that she needed was right there. She knew it was, she just couldn't get to it.

Why was her head feeling so empty? It wasn't supposed to...Was it? Why would her mind be so big if she was the only one there..? It didn't make any sense.

"Marie," the man – Logan – mumbled to her, his voice was filled with concern. He was worried about her.

He stepped back when she impulsively sat up and wiggled herself into a sitting position. She folded her legs underneath her body and watched him with wide eyes. She wanted to throw her arms around him and she couldn't explain the desire to do so.

He slowly came closer to the bed again and looked down at her. Before she could stop herself she reached out a shaky hand towards his face. She didn't even stop to think that she had pulled away from him only a few seconds before or that she was wearing white gloves, it was like she was being controlled.

She skimmed her fingers along his forehead and down the side of his face to follow his chin before drifting back up and skimming across his lips.

_Why am I doing this?_

Marie was confused by her actions and yet they seemed so familiar in some way, like she had dome them a thousand times and as memories danced through her mind and faded away she was sure that she had.

He smiled at her softly and her heart did a flip in her chest. Why did she feel like this? How could she feel like this?

She wanted to know just who he was and took in a shaky breath to ask but before she could open her mouth a door in the wall behind him hissed open.

Logan turned around, leaving a distance between where she was and himself, she panicked at the gap and quickly slid from the table to stand close behind him. She easily slid into the space and she was sandwiched behind his back and the table. She stayed behind him and gripped his shirt in her hands, screwing the material viciously in a tight grip.

She didn't know who had just entered the room but this man would protect her she was sure. Logan would keep her safe.

* * *

Logan could smell her fear and feel her small hands clawing at his shirt in panic.

He reached behind himself with one arm and curled into around her, his hand coming to rest on her back. Logan moved his thumb in lazy circles, trying his best to calm her down. She was still confused and for some reason her mind was not as alright as the professor had thought it would be. She didn't even know for sure who he was, yet for some reason she still trusted him and if staying behind him while the others came into the room was what it would take to make her feel safe, then it was fine by him.

He watched as the professor wheeled into the room, a concerned frown on his face, followed closely by Scott and a blue furry mutant who Logan knew to be Henry McCoy.

A small whimper burst from Marie and his heart clenched.

The professor came closer but made no attempt to move round the table.

"Rogue I am glad to see that you are up and about," the professor told her softly.

Logan felt every bone in Marie's body tense and felt her back go straight under his hand as she buried her face in his back.

He turned slightly to her.

"Shhh darling, you're alright. The professor is a friend," he whispered gently, only for her to whimper again and shake her head against his back.

"It's fine darlin', I won't let them near you if you don't want," he reassured her and she relaxed the tiniest little bit.

_Just what's wrong Xavier? _He yelled at the professor in his head, knowing that the mind reading mutant would pick it up easily.

"_Her mind hasn't fully healed yet Logan. She is only getting flashes of memory. She is frightened and you are the only one that she can remember,"_

Logan felt warmth spread through him at this knowledge. She remembered him, no one else, just him. But now he was worried as well. Xavier had just told him that her mind had not fixed itself as it should have.

_Will her mind be alright?_

There was a pause and Logan quickly gave the other men a glance over. Both of them were standing just inside the door and he assumed that the professor had told them to stay back.

The professor finally answered him.

"_Yes, in time she should regain her memories Logan,"_

Relief washed over him. Logan knew what it felt like to know nothing. To not know who you were, who your enemies were, or who your friends were and he would not have Marie feel as lost as he had for anything – not even the return of his own memories.

"_Logan try and keep her calm please, Hank needs to see to her,"_

Logan nearly growled at the request. She wasn't happy with then here and he was still intending having the doctor look at her.

He took his arm from around her, allowing his hand to slide from her back to her waist and then to her hand that was still screwed around his shirt. Doing the same with her other hand he slowly loosed her grip, he knew that she was struggling with the fear and heard the watery breaths that she was taking as he took her hands from his clothing and turned around to face her.

He smiled at her gently.

"Hey darlin'," he whispered as she looked up at him, her breaths coming quickly.

He raised both of her hands to his lips and kissed them both in turn.

"You know I won't let anyone hurt you," he whispered to her, ignoring the three others in the room.

She nodded slowly giving him a small brave smile, her eyes were wide and frightened but she still knew to trust him and he was proud of her attempts to stay calm.

"Good girl, now these are friends and the professor is very worried about you," he racked his head trying to think of what to say to her, how to keep her calm and get her to trust the other men – or if not trust, at least allow the fury mutant close enough to do whatever the professor had called him for.

Marie gradually stopped shaking and peered around him slowly, taking in the others.

"OK," she whispered hoarsely.

He squeezed her hand and turned, slowly drawing her out gently from behind him and placing her in front. She pushed up against him and he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist – she latched onto his hands.

* * *

Marie stared at the strange men. She didn't like this. She didn't know them...or did she? There was something familiar but the feeling was not as strong as the one she had felt at seeing Logan. She gripped his hands tightly with her own where they met at the front of her stomach.

He would keep her safe. If he said that these people were not going to hurt her then she would try and trust him.

The big blue man came towards her and smiled warmly. Boy, were his teeth sharp. But she liked his smile, it was friendly and she found herself smiling faintly back at him but cringing into Logan's body as he got nearer.

He reached out a hand slowly towards her. His hands were huge and he had sharp claw like nails at the end of each finger. He was dangerous...but she was sure that he was not a bad man.

He stood patiently for nearly a minute with his hand stretched out before she managed to do the same, reaching towards him with one white gloved hand after disentangling the desired limb from Logan's hand.

He took her hand gently and shook it.

"Hello Rogue, my name is Henry McCoy but you can call me Hank," he told her, his voice just as friendly and warm as his smile had been.

"Hello," she whispered in response, grabbing hold of Logan's hand again as soon as he had finished shaking it.

"I am a doctor, everyone has been quite worried about you my dear," he continued.

Marie decided that she liked this man. He had a calming effect without really trying and everything about him screamed gentleness despite his looks.

Everyone had been worried about her. She felt instant guilt for being so much trouble and flinched again into Logan hold, trying to get inside his skin if she could.

"Charles here," Hank turned around briefly and exchanged a glance with 'Charles'.

Marie followed his gaze to the older man in the room. She knew him. Yes, she definitely did, she just couldn't put her finger on it and it was driving her crazy. It was the same with the other man, the one with the funny glasses on, her mind felt scrambled as she tried to grab at names and how she knew them.

"...has asked me to examine you and run some tests," he continued and at the mention of tests Marie tensed and she felt a rumble build in Logan's chest.

Tests were bad.

Hank obviously saw her reaction and tried his best to reassure her.

"Of course only with your permission my dear," he smiled at her and she stared, tests were not good things, every nerve in her body was screaming out against the very idea.

She felt Logan lean down behind her and felt his breath in her neck. She fought the shiver that came to her spine and the way that her heart beat suddenly kicked up a notch. What was with that?

"I'll be there the whole time baby," he whispered in her ear.

She thought about it. If Logan would be with her the whole time then maybe it wasn't all bad then. He would make sure nothing bad happened. He wouldn't let them hurt her. ..

She looked up at the blue man and took in a shaky breath and nodded her head.

"Alright,"

**Hi guys.**

**So Marie is sorta/kinda/nearly remembering things. That's good isn't it..? **

**I am sorry again for the length of the chapter (though it is actually a little bit longer than the last couple) but the chapters honestly do flow better being shorter (at least they do in the scary place that is my head :))**

**I hope you enjoyed. As always I love to hear what you think. **

**Keep safe and have a nice weekend. **

**:)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Still own nothing**

**Chapter 19**

Logan trudged up the stairs of the mansion, every step he took serving as a silent protest to the professor.

He did not want to be doing this.

He wanted to be in the infirmary still with Marie. But no. As soon as she had fallen asleep after the tests the professor had all but propelled him from the room so that he could do a proper mental examination, without the constant disruption of Logan's panicked thoughts and vibes...Or something like that anyway.

He continued to move as slowly as possible hoping that the professor would hurry up and finish and then he still wouldn't have that long to dart back under the mansion. But it didn't work.

All too soon he was at his room only to turn and walk down the corridor to Marie's. He wasn't as desperate for her scent as he had been over the past couple of months but there was something about being surrounded by her scent that calmed him.

He pushed open the door and inhaled.

Bliss.

Logan closed the door softly behind him and for the first time actually paid attention to the room itself.

She had really made it her own in the time that he had been away from the mansion.

When they had both been using it, it had been very plain. There had been nothing on the walls and hardly anything in the book case or on the desk that sat against the wall. But now...now it was cosy. It reflected Marie.

The bedding that he had buried himself in night after night was no longer the medical white colour of all the unused rooms in the mansion but was made from warm browns, while the curtains were different shades of lilac and blue.

The walls were no longer bare and clinical either. There was a huge map covering the wall next to the wardrobe and Logan wondered how he had managed to go so long without noticing it. He went up to it and examined the different coloured pins and lines that decorated the map of the States, Canada and Alaska.

There were loads of green pins littering the map all the way from Mississippi to Alaska and he saw that these were the places that she had been. All of the places she had travelled through during the eight months between her leaving home and hiding in his truck. He saw there were very few red pins left and he decided that once she was well enough he was going to make sure there were none left.

He studied the names of the towns with the green pins and saw that he himself had been to many of them and he wondered just how many times he had just left a place as she had arrived or the other way around...

He shook himself from his thoughts when he heard movement behind the door seconds before it swung open to reveal Storm.

"Oh Logan," the woman exclaimed in surprise.

He nodded his head at the weather witch and held back the urge to demand what she was doing in Marie's room. No one had been near in all the months since Alkali Lake and yet no one had dared to even mention clearing it out – no doubt that was the professor's influence.

"I'm here to get some clothing for Rogue," she smiled walking further into the room and leaving the door open.

"The professor thought that she may feel more comfortable in her own clothes, I believe that what she is wearing is from Bobby's mother."

"Yeah," Logan mumbled in reply, remembering stalking up the stairs of the boy's home and nearly taking his head off when he had seen his Marie with her lips frozen an unnatural blue colour.

_Damn kid. _

Logan stood motionless as he watched Storm flit about the room, pulling out drawers and filling a holdall that she had brought with her.

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans and was about to put them into the bag when he cleared his throat.

"Not that one," he told her.

Storm's head shot up to look at him her eyes wide.

"Why?" she asked, looking between him and the jeans still in her hand.

Logan had recognised the offending piece of clothing instantly. He remembered the first time that Marie had worn them and complained about them, and the second and last time she wore them. He was actually surprised that she still had them. ..she hated them.

"She doesn't like them," he explained, shrugging his shoulders.

Storm just smiled and Logan couldn't help but feel small - like she was reassuring a small child or something.

He needed Xavier to hurry up and finish so he could go and see his girl.

**Aaaaah. I am so, so, so sorry it has taken me so long to update and I am even sorrier that this is so short. I have had one majorly huge case of writers block. **

**Anyway let me know what you think (please don't hate me) I'm hoping this will get me past it. Of course it doesn't help that I went to see Avatar a few day ago and have that going round my head instead... **

**Keep safe with the weather.**

**:) **

**PS. Have added the first of a couple of Outtakes to 'A Dream Made of Nightmares'. Let me know if you like. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Still own nothing – Shock Horror hehe**

**Chapter 20**

Logan never professed to have the patience of a saint but he could go pretty far without cracking and he was just about to reach that point ... at any second.

As if it wasn't bad enough that he had returned to the lower levels of the school to find Marie still fast asleep, he now had to wait for the very blue, and very fuzzy doctor to 'get his thoughts in order' – obviously the guy was blind to the fact that at any minute Logan might just have to kill him. Yip – you don't say no to the claws.

After ten minutes of standing in the office that joined on to the lab Logan had had enough. The guy had had all damn day to get his brain into gear.

"Come on bub, cut to the chase," he growled irritably, receiving a scowl from Scott, a sigh from Storm and a raised eyebrow from the professor.

Hank a.k.a 'big, blue and fuzzy' cleared his throat and shuffled seom if the papers on the desk.

"Yes, quite," he mumbled.

"A you all now I have performed some scans and screening and the like..." Hank continued with the medical jargon and Logan's blood temperature raised a couple of degrees.

_Yeah, we know what you did; just tell us what you found._

"And the results were fascinating," the doctor mumbled to himself, looking through the papers he had now moved from the desk to his hands.

_Come on share with the class. _

"Quite astounding," he continued almost like he was in a trance.

_You know you can do it. _

"Through the blood works I discovered different variations of the mutant gene, Four to be precise,"

_And that means what exactly?_

"One of the genes is her own mutation which is active at all time. The other three are from mutants she has touched in the past. One being yourself Logan, one being Magneto and the other being Jean, "

A rumble grew in Logan's chest at the mention of Jean and Magneto.

Hank continued obviously seeing that he now had the undivided attention of everyone in the room.

"As I said Rogue's own mutation is active but the other three are dormant at the moment,"

"What do you mean by 'at the moment'?" Scott asked and Logan nodded his head thinking the same question.

"Well, it is my understanding that under particular circumstances she can use the mutations she has absorbed,"

"Well she has done. We have all seen her use them at some point or other," Storm added.

"She was perfecting the use of them through danger-room sessions and the like," the professor explained to the doctor after he threw them all a confused look.

"Indeed...Well it is my belief that she can access them at will, that is why they are not active at present,"

Logan thought over what the doctor was telling them. It all seemed to make sense alright but then they all seemed to be forgetting about the voices in her head.

"Could her accessing the mutations have anything to do with the voices in her head?" he asked, receiving shocked glances from the others.

What was it with these people that they all thought that he was thick or something.

"In what way?" Hank asked.

"Well, she can't hear the voices right now according to the professor so could that maybe be the reason why the genes are not working...the owners are asleep,"

_OK so that sounded a little stupid but hey it could be a reason. _

"It is certainly an avenue that I have not thought of," Hank spoke slowly his mind obviously following the new path of thought.

He took a breath to continue when suddenly a spine chilling scream split the air.

* * *

Marie woke up slowly to find herself looking at the bright light above her head. She was still in the room she had been in a while ago.

Where was Logan.

"_Marie, baby,"_

There he was.

Marie immediately relaxed and closed her eyes again. He was in the room with her.

"_Baby, are you alright?"_

Wait a minute.

Marie's calm began to drain away from her.

His voice wasn't coming through her ears. Why wasn't it coming through her ears? It was echoing around her head instead.

"_Child, are you well?" _

That was another voice.

A female voice.

Panic consumed her as images filled her head.

Images of solders with guns.

Water.

Water crushing down in her, filling her body with pain, forcing the air from her lungs and one moment when she breathe din water before darkness claimed her.

Marie screamed and fell from the bed, shuffling herself against the nearest wall as bodies ran into the room.

She pushed herself far into the corner and buried her head in her knees as the images and memories continued to flood through her mind - filing themselves into the right order and time.

Her home.

Her mutation showing up and nearly killing David.

Being thrown out and meeting Gambit.

Travelling to Canada and meeting Logan.

The school, the Statue of Liberty, the machine, the nightmares, the time with Logan, the midnight snacks, her parents showing up, kissing under the mistletoe.

Logan leaving, perfecting her use of her powers, Logan coming back, the raid on the school, running to Bobby's home.

John, Magneto, Jean, Mystique, Bobby, Storm, Scott, Xavier, Kurt, Logan.

DYING.

_I died. I actually died. _

She could hear voices on the outside but ignored them.

She had actually died, the pain if her body fragmenting brushing through her mind.

The voices in her head bean to talk to her, reassuring her. Erik, Logan and Phoenix.

She had done it though. She had saved them all. She had saved Logan.

Marie raised her head and opened her eyes slowly to see Logan crouched three feet from her, concern and love in his eyes.

She flung herself at him making him overbalance as they both landed on the floor with her sprawled out on top of him but she didn't care – she would be embarrassed later.

She felt his arms close about her and she was careful to keep her skin from his as she wrapped her gloved hands and arms around his neck and holding on tightly as she buried her face in his chest and breathed in his scent.

* * *

Logan held her tightly as she repeated his name over and over again against his chest.

She remembered.

She knew who they were.

The professor had told them what was happening as she had crouched, shaking in the corner. She was remembering what had happened. She was remembering dying.

Logan wondered what it was like to remember such a thing.

He wondered if he had ever dyed before he had lost his memory.

He held her tightly as she wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck.

"I'm home, I'm home," she whispered over and over again.

_Yes, you are and I'm not losing you ever again._

Carefully he moved them so that he was sitting up with her curled up on his lap. He rocked her gently and felt a shiver run through him as he felt her gloved fingers stroke the hair at the bottom of his neck.

"_Perhaps it would be better if you took Rogue to her room, Logan," _the professor's calm and controlled voice filled his mind.

He nodded his head in silent agreement before slowly standing up – by some miracle not falling over as Marie didn't release her hold on him.

Once he was standing he swung her into his arms and carried her bridal style from the lab.

The journey to the surface was quiet and the halls of the school were thankfully deserted as he carried her to her room.

He kicked the door shut and moved towards the bed and would have put her down but as soon as he loosened his hold she began to whimper against his chest so instead he sat against her headboard and held her against him.

"Did...did everyone get out OK?" she asked him, and he didn't need to ask what she was talking about.

"Yeah darling', thanks to you," he told her placing a kiss on her head as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

"I died didn't I?" she mumbled.

What was he supposed to say to that?

"Yes,"

Silence followed and Logan was at a loss for what to do. What was there to do? What kind of things were you supposed to do after telling someone that they had dies and came back to life?

He didn't know.

So he did the only thing he was sure about. He held her close.

**Hi guys. **

**You can thank an ear infection for this chapter – i only managed to get it done because I've been off from college:).**

**She remembers yippee – I couldn't really face drawing out the 'she's forgotten' thing.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays – yes I know they were a month ago :)**

**Keep safe**

**Please let me know what you think :)**

**Ps – I was tidying my room – I know, scary right;) - and came across some stuff that I had done a while ago so I'll be posting it over the next couple of days. **

**So if anyone likes Narnia and Caspian/Lucy pairings keep OR Stargate Atlantis and Jennifer/Ronon pairings keep an eye out for the first couple of chapters of some new stories. **

**:)**


	21. Chapter 21

**I own nothing. Though gifts are nice...hehe;)**

**Chapter 21**

Marie lay in Logan's arms – the familiar feeling of safety and security washing over her and soaking into her mind and body, easing her muscles and calming her erratic breathing.

She concentrated on the people in her head – finally realising why her head had felt so empty...so lonely.

_Are all of you okay? What I did, it didn't hurt any of you did it?_

She was afraid of the answer. She hadn't thought of the consequences her actions could have had on her mental passengers, she had been more than willing to give her own life for her friends but what about them...

She let out a deep sigh of relief when she received answers from each of the voices telling her that they were fine.

"_If you ever do that again darlin' we are taking control of you by force and dragging your pretty self out of there!" _Logan yelled at her angrily but she didn't shy away from his anger she knew that he was worried about her.

She could feel Erik's agreement and she felt pain when she remembered the way that the real him had acted – she couldn't help but wonder what he would be like if he hadn't gone through what he had.

"_And as for you birdy, if you ever pull a stunt like that again you are getting the claw!" _he raged at Phoenix who seemed to be the personification of calm.

_Umm Logan, sugar, I don't think that your claws will work very well in my head. _

"_Listen darlin' never say never, I'. Pretty sure if I try hard enough I can cause some damage," _he told her sulkily.

_But Phoenix is the reason I'm alive. Aren't you? _She directed the question at Phoenix.

"_Yeah and she is also the reason you were in danger to begin with,"_

Erik seemed to decide to join in the conversation at this point.

"_Though I do agree with our resident vegetable peeler," _a smile quirked Rogue's lips slightly at Erik's comment – just as witty as ever – "_in the end it was pur Rogue's decision. Phoenix did not control her – we would have known. Phoenix's power is like that of a genie – the master can use it for good or evil,"_

"_Very good Erik," _Phoenix praised the other mutant's explanation.

"_Blah, blah, blah, I. Don't. Care. If you try anything lady your dead,"_ Logan growled obviously not willing to think of the idea of Marie being harmed – even if she did so willingly.

* * *

Logan soaked in the feeling of having Marie with him, where she should be, in his arms. How could he have forgotten how well she fit against him and how big his heart felt when she snuggled against him? No-one had ever trusted him like she did and he knew that after her no-one else would.

He wondered just how much of what happened at Alkali Lake she actually remembered.

Did she remember what happened before...before....He couldn't even finish the thought, not now that she was safe.

Did she remember the her that wasn't her? Did she remember kissing him, telling him that she loved him? He didn't know what he would do if she didn't. What could he do? Just go on and pretend that losing her hadn't driven him insane – hadn't driven him to try and make a few futile attempts to end his own existence.

He listened closely to her breathing and knew that she wasn't asleep only relaxing.

"Marie?" he said softly, his arms still holding her firmly to him in a gentle cage.

"Hmmm,"

"What...what do you remember about that day, the day at the lake?"

Okay so being insecure in the women department wasn't exactly the great Wolverine's thing but Marie had always had a way of turning everything that he was on its head.

* * *

Marie had been floating happily. The gentle humming if the people in her head had lulled her into a sense of calm and Logan's arms around her had only added to that sense of security.

She froze when she heard his question and she panicked.

What did he mean?

What part of that day?

There were so many memories.

Was he asking her if she remembered dyeing? – Because she did, with a painful clarity.

Was he asking her if she remembered flying the x-jet? – Because that was an experience she was in no rush to retry.

She realised that the three sets of murmuring in her head had stopped and all was still.

Or was he asking her about the bit where she had pushed herself into his mind and...

"What about it Logan?" she whispered, almost afraid to speak loudly.

She could feel him take ina dee breath behind her and waited for him to reply. She wasn't going to make a fool of herself by talking about something that he wasn't even asking about.

"About...about before you let go if the water," she heard him gulp.

Marie smiled. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Everything," she answered softly.

"Everything?"

Marie took a deep breath and turned slowly in his arms until she was hovering over him.

She folded her gloved arms on his chest and placed her chin on them. She smiled brightly and nodded her head a little, her heart melting at the hopeful look in his eyes.

"Everything," she repeated firmly.

But she didn't, she suddenly realised as another memory flashed into her mind.

_"I have to go back in, I'll be right back,"_

_He quickly held her to him in a brief hug._

_"Love you baby," he whispered into her ear before turning and sprinting towards the hidden entrance._

* * *

Logan looked at Marie's glowing eyes and smiling face.

She remembered, she remembered everything she said.

She shifted slightly and withdrew one if her arm from its folded position on his chest and ran her gloved fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes as he surrendered himself to the feeling. He felt the air move and she shifted against him but he kept his eyes closed not ready to pull himself from the dream that he was surrounded in .

"Did you mean what you said to me Logan?" she asked him softly, her voice trembling.

"Did you mean it when you said that you loved me?"

"Every word darlin'," he told her softly get firmly as he allowed his eyes to open.

She had moved closer to him.

She was half on top of him and half on the bed, one hand still playing with his hair while the other traced his face.

He had never seen her so happy. Her whole body seemed to be glowing with it.

"I love you too Logan. So, so much," she choked out and Logan arm immediately flew around her and held her to him.

"I love you. I love you. I love you," she mumbled into his chest and he felt like he would explode with the pure joy that was coursing through his body.

He pressed a kiss into her hair smiling like a mad man the whole time.

"And I love you, more than you'll ever know Marie, more than you'll ever know,"

* * *

Marie held onto him, like she would die if she let go.

Erik was yelling at the Logan in her head telling him that the whole thing was 'just wrong' – a choice in vocabulary that she had no doubt he had plucked from her mind. But she didn't care what he was saying/. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life.

_Phoenix?_

"_Yes child,"_

_Could I maybe do something...?_

* * *

Marie slowly extracted herself from Logan's arms but he still kept a gentle grip on her elbows, not willing to let her go just yet. She gazed down at him with shining eyes from her hovering position.

"Logan...I want to try something...if I hurt you, you have to let me know or push me away,"

His brows furrowed against his will. What was she talking about?

Then it came to him as she slowly dipped her face towards his own and he decided that even if she did hurt him he wasn't going to let her know.

Her face continued to get closer to his own until there was only an inch separating them.

"Remember...push me away if it hurts," he could taste her words as she spoke, her scent filling his senses, pleasing the animal inside.

He stayed still, not wanting to frighten her, smelling the nervousness coming from her.

Finally after what felt like a lifetime she closed the gap between them and planted her lips gently on his.

Logan waited, waited for the draining feeling, the feeling if his life being sucked through his skin. But it never came.

He felt Marie's small, gloved hands move from where they had been supporting her weight on either side of his head to stroke his face, before finally twining into his hair. Her whole weight now rested on him and he didn't mind it one nit – in fact he relished the feeling, never before being more grateful for his metal skeleton than he was now.

His own hands went from her elbows - one settling in her hip and the other twisting into her long hair. Before he knew it he had rolled them both over so that he was now hovering over her carefully, supporting his weight so that his metal frame didn't crush her.

He looked down at her beautiful, smiling, flushed face and couldn't hold back from pecking kisses over her face. Her nose, her cheeks, her eyes, anywhere he could find – in fact he was sure that he heard her giggle when he caught her ear.

He stroked her face gently running his bare thumb under her eyes, caressing the delicate skin there.

"Phoenix is helping me," she whispered, smiling softly.

He had no doubt that there was utter shock and amazement in his eyes.

"But I can only hold it for a minute longer," she added quickly, frowning slightly.

Logan swooped down quickly and pressed his lips to her and felt her hand go once again to his hair and hold tight. He remembered the dream that he had had so longs ago and found there was just no comparing the dream and the real thing.

Everything about his Marie was perfect.

After a few second he began to fell the slightest of pulls – nowhere near as strong as he had experienced the night he stabbed her but it was there none the less and Marie could feel it too. She began to tug on his hair but not towards her – instead she was trying to force him away fro her.

He did as she wished and drew away only by an inch or so until he could look into her eyes. Sadness now marred the utter joy he had seen there only a few seconds before.

"I love you," he breathed.

**Hi everyone. **

**I didn't forget about this story honest I didn't. I just kind of lost my thread of thought and didn't really know where I was going to go but I think that I have it sorted now. **

**Couldn't resist the aww moment for Marie and Logan – also I wasn't planning on dragging the whole 'love' thing out. **

**By the way I have never been kissed so sorry about glossing over that bit. **

**The other reason I am trying to crack on with this story is because I have an idea for another Rogue/Logan story – one that has been whizzing around my head for a few months now – but I don't want to take it any further until I have finished this one. **

**Anyone interested in another story or have you had enough if my visions of Wolverine and Rogue?**

**So I hope you like. Once again I apologise for the wait.**

**Please let me know what you think – or even just to yell at me for keeping you waiting. **

**Keep safe. **

**:)**


	22. Please Read

**HI everyone.**

**So, after giving it much thought I have decided that here is a good place to end part two of my version if x-men. **

**There is no way of continuing it forward that would actually involve a plot-line and I would probably write a load if guff forever. **

**BUT...Do not fear! I have in mind what will be happening in the third part (tada) and I also have the idea for the completely unrelated story that has been buzzing around in my head for a little while now. **

**Now I know I dont deserve anything (especially after keeping you waiting so long for the last chapter *hangs head in shame and puts* but if you haven't had a chance to review yet but have been following this story I would greatly appreciate some kind if feedback for what you thought – either of a certain bit or of the story as a whole – whatever. I mean...you don't have to but if you could that would be great so I know roughty how terrible I am and what I need to improve. Please :).**

**Okay and number two. If you could let me know which story you would rather have first that would be brilliant. There is the random story that has been whizzing round my head or the next (and last *sniffs sadly*) story in the trilogy – which by the way will be called _Please Don't Wake Me Now (_Get it? I'm keeping with the whole dreamy theme :) – yeah sad I know but it makes me happy)**

**So if you could do those two things for me that would be brilliant. **

**Thanks a lot to everyone.**

**Phantomlass**

**:)**


	23. plz read 3rd story info

**Hi.**

**Just to let you know that the first chapter for the third story is up. **

**The story is called _Please Don't Wake Me Now. _**

**Thank you.**

**Ps - I'll delete this message in a day or two. :)**


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